Andoni Iraola picks £57m centre-back to join Liverpool

Liverpool’s needs at centre-back are growing.

Ibrahima Konate left the club on a free transfer - joining Real Madrid - and that meant that Andoni Iraola was going to be without one of the club’s senior centre-back options for his first season in charge.

Joe Gomez - Liverpool’s longest-serving player - was expected to provide the experience and know-how to the backline but the 29-year-old is injured again.

Giovanni Leoni remains on the sidelines as he recovers from an ACL injury but there is better news regarding Jeremy Jacquet.

Liverpool require at least one senior centre-back

The 21-year-old is now ready to make his debut on the preseason tour of the United States but it would be a risk to rely on him to partner Van Dijk all season long in a rookie campaign.

Mor Talla Ndiaye could come into the picture meanwhile as a deputy for Van Dijk but Ifeanyi Ndukwe will have to go out on loan. It all adds up to Richard Hughes and Iraola requiring at least one more centre-back - Gomez’s injury representing the latest blow.

Iraola would welcome Zabarnyi to Liverpool

And a report in TEAMtalk is now claiming that the Basque tactico would welcome the opportunity to sign a player he knows very well from his time at Bournemouth.

Illia Zabarnyi joined Bournemouth from Dynamo Kyiv in January 2023 under former Cherries technical director Hughes - now of course sporting director at Anfield.

Therefore two of Liverpool’s leaders have got intimate working knowledge of working with the 23-year-old stopper. The Ukraine international joined Paris Saint-Germain last summer for around £57m.

He ended his maiden campaign in France as a Ligue 1 and Champions League winner - but the man contracted until 2030 is not yet trusted enough by Luis Enrique to start the biggest games in Europe.

Zabarnyi potentially available

The report claims that Zabarnyi is fed up of his status in the PSG squad and could potentially be available for a Premier League return during the current transfer window.

“Liverpool have been made aware of the potential availability of Paris Saint-Germain defender Illia Zabarnyi,” the report reads.

“The former Bournemouth centre-back has grown frustrated by a lack of regular opportunities in France and, while a deal would be complicated, he is a player Iraola knows exceptionally well from their time together on the south coast.

“The Spaniard remains a huge admirer of the Ukraine international and would welcome the chance to work with him again if circumstances allowed.”

It’s not the first time Liverpool have been linked with Zabarnyi with plenty of reports last summer suggesting he could be Anfield-bound.

He looks like the ideal candidate to arrive in the next few weeks as Hughes and Iraola get to grips with sorting out numbers and quality in the middle of the backline.