Liverpool forced to agree massive deal they're eager to avoid

Liverpool have little choice but to agree a massive deal. It's one they've clearly been keen to avoid.

Liverpool are currently scouring the transfer market to find a new winger. They need one, too, as Mohamed Salah's exit leaves them incredibly short on production out wide.

They were already short, of course, after Luis Diaz left without a replacement. Victor Munoz eases the concerns somewhat but he won't be enough all on his own. That's why, ultimately, Liverpool are open to dropping £100m+ on a new winger.

Will it be Bradley Barcola? Maybe. It certainly looks likely. And the Reds appear to be leading that race.

The problem is that it's not the only position that Liverpool need to invest in. The weekend made it abundantly clear that centre-back is a problem area, with Joe Gomez going off after eight minutes.

Now, it seems Gomez will be okay but this was a reminder that he is not a reliable centre-back. He's brilliant, just not someone you can guarantee is fit to play.

And so if Gomez isn't first-choice, it'll have to be Jeremy Jacquet. Only, he's also battling back from injury and is an entirely unknown quantity in the Premier League - Liverpool cannot bank on a 20-year-old adapting to the elite level immediately.

Giovanni Leoni is in an even worse sport. He's been out for coming up to a year after his knee injury on debut. The squad certainly can't count on him to play regularly.

We just don't see how Liverpool avoid buying a centre-back and it feels as though they're essentially forced to at this stage. If Jacquet doesn't adapt immediately - or just isn't quite the player the Reds think he is - and Gomez suffers injury concerns, things suddenly look very, very bad.

And in the last year of Virgil van Dijk's contract, no less. Liverpool are heading towards a position of needing to replace their star defender in one summer, with no experienced options to help. Made even worse by the fact Gomez's contract will also expire next summer.

This looks like a terrible position all round, then. One that Liverpool have to get ahead of by finding an experienced, senior-level defender immediately.

They're forced to, really. Not doing anything at this stage would be negligent.