With the international tournaments now over, there will hopefully be a little more freedom for the Reds to operate.
But with time ticking down until Liverpool head out on tour to the USA, they’ll need to move quickly to get bodies in at Anfield before they leave.
Arne Slot will continue to be boosted by those returning to the AXA Training Centre following their involvement in either the Copa America or Euro 2024.
As he assesses the Liverpool squad, it could yet be that Slot decides he has everything he needs for the new season. Nevertheless, the Reds continue to keep their options open in the market.
Leipzig's French defender #02 Mohamed Simakan (L) and Bremen's Danish midfielder #06 Jens Stage both jump to head the ball during the German first ...
Photo by RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images
Liverpool tracking Mohamed Simakan
At the end of last season, it had seemed fairly certain that Liverpool would sign a centre-back this summer.
With Joel Matip leaving and Ibrahima Konate on a downward spiral in terms of both form and fitness, it felt necessary that the Reds would add to their backline.
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But although Liverpool have shown strong interest in Leny Yoro, there hasn’t been anything else to suggest that a move to bolster the defence is imminent.
Yoro looks likely to join Real Madrid rather than Liverpool anyway, with the Reds’ interest seen as being more opportunistic than anything else.
With the 18-year-old slipping away, Liverpool are going to have to look elsewhere for a defensive signing, if they are to make one.
And according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Reds are continuing to look into possibilities. Speaking on Playback on Monday evening, the transfer expert confirmed that Liverpool are ‘tracking’ RB Leipzig centre-back Mohamed Simakan.
“What I can tell you is that people on the board of Liverpool have been tracking Mo Simakan and know him very well,” says Romano. “They have been following the player and they believe he’s a very talented defender.
“At the moment there are no concrete negotiations between the agents of Simakan and Liverpool or Liverpool and Leipzig, so that is the situation,” he adds. “But I can confirm he’s one of many centre-backs they have been tracking.”
Who is Mohamed Simakan?
Even for those not familiar with Simakan, Liverpool’s interest in him will not be too much of a surprise.
The Reds are big fans of doing business with RB Leipzig. Deals for Naby Keita, Dominik Szoboszlai and Konate since 2018 prove as much.
Any player excelling with the Red Bull side is worth being aware of from a Liverpool point of view.
In terms of Simakan, he does indeed look like a typical Liverpool signing. 24, capable of playing at right-back as well as centre-back and with almost 200 appearances to his name, he ticks a lot of boxes. According to journalist Philipp Hinze, the defender could be available for around £38m, too.
A France U21 international, Simakan joined Leipzig in 2021 from Strasbourg having broken through at the French club. He has become a regular for the Germans ever since, playing 120 times in three seasons.
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