Liverpool has not signed anyone yet in the summer market but things on the transfer front could soon hot up. Anthony Gordon is one to keep an eye on and Richard Hughes has made no secret that most movement would come in August .
According to The Independent , Willian Pacho, an Ecuadorian who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt, has "long been viewed as a potential option at center-half". It is suggested that he would be valued at around $64m (£50m/€59m) and that the Reds could make a move for a defender — possibly the 22-year-old — in the next 10 days or so.
Klopp has bequeathed a talented and deep squad to new Reds boss Arne Slot but one area that needs addressing is at center-back. Joel Matip has departed at the end of his contract this summer, Ibrahima Konaté is sadly never too far from an injury and Virgil van Dijk will be 33 when next season gets underway. Even the greatest can't outrun age forever.
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The South American has only played one full season in the Bundesliga having moved from Royal Antwerp last summer. But it was reported that Liverpool had made Pacho its "priority for the defense" last April, according to Gianluca Di Marzio . Pacho’s current contract runs for another four seasons, through to the summer of 2028.
Data from FBRef likens him to the Milan pair of Simon Kjær and Malick Thiaw, as well as Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi and Wolves’ Max Kilman if you’re looking for a Premier League point of reference. Pacho is in the top 16 per cent of defenders in Europe’s big five leagues for all four of blocks, clearances, interceptions and tackles, though defensive statistics are inevitably dictated by how much defending the team has to do and not by player quality alone.
Equally, he has started all but one game for the team with the sixth-best defensive record in Germany, so the Ecuadorian has clearly done plenty of solid defending in 2023/24. "Willian is a very clever player, who listens well and is quick to implement what is asked of him," is the verdict of Frankfurt’s sporting director, Markus Krosche. "His speed and strength in the tackle are what make him stand out," he added, and such skills are why Liverpool may be interested in signing Pacho.
Liverpool.com says: It is not Liverpool's style to sign players who have four years remaining on their contract. However, the reported price would not put the Reds off if Pacho is the target they value above all other central defenders. At the very least, he looks good enough for Liverpool to be monitoring at this still-early stage of his career.
An original version of this story was first published on April 26. It has since been updated to reflect new developments.
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