Andoni Iraola is about to miss out on Liverpool's next Virgil van Dijk

Andoni Iraola's time as Liverpool's head coach has been a bit mixed.

While the Spaniard may have only lost three games across all competitions this season, it still feels like the Reds could have done a lot better than they have.

They should have put up a much tougher fight against Manchester City and Arsenal than they did but, because they didn't, they're now fifth in the Premier League table.

Wednesday's 3-2 defeat against Fenerbahce proved how far the Reds still have to go before they're treated as genuine challengers for silverware again.

So, in order to push them towards achieving this goal, the January transfer window may have to be a busy one with the Reds already being linked with many different moves.

Chelsea want to offer long-term Liverpool target Levi Colwill a new contract

Liverpool's defence may have had a lot of work done to it in the summer but, there are still several changes that need to be made before its back to its best.

Virgil van Dijk, Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo have all performed to a fairly high standard but, with Van Dijk's contract set to expire in June 2028, change is clearly afoot.

Indeed, the Reds could end up offering the Dutchman a new deal but, right now, that doesn't feel all that likely.

This has led to several different players being linked with a Liverpool move with some causing genuine excitement to emerge from fans.

However, as per a fresh update from TEAMtalk, one of the Reds' long-term targets, Levi Colwill, looks likely to be offered an extension to his current terms with Chelsea.

"Chelsea are ready to open discussions with Levi Colwill over a new contract, with an extension for their homegrown defensive star expected to become a priority in 2027 amid interest from Liverpool, TEAMtalk understands," they wrote.

"The Blues are keen to secure the long-term future of the 23-year-old, who has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most impressive young defenders since breaking into the first team in 2023.

"Brighton were particularly keen to secure Colwill on a permanent basis following his successful loan spell at the Amex Stadium, but Chelsea made it clear they had no intention of selling.

"Tottenham and Liverpool have also made approaches for the England international, only to encounter a similar stance from the Blues.

Levi Colwill would have been perfect for Liverpool

Not only do Liverpool need extra depth among their ranks right now but, they also need to add a fair few homegrown players to their ranks.

Thanks to how many foreign players the Reds have in their squad, they physically can't register anymore players other than homegrown ones.

This is obviously a massive problem with Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa both missing out on all of their Champions League games as they're not registered to play.

Colwill is one of many centre-backs who would have been a solid acquisition for Liverpool.

However, there's just something about the Englishman that makes him feel like a perfect successor for Van Dijk.

He's tall, fast and strong. Three of the key things about Van Dijk's game.

And, since he's only 23 years old and has already featured in 86 Premier League games, there's plenty of room for him to grow while already having a decent chunk of experience under his belt.

Here's hoping that the Blues don't actually offer the versatile defender a new deal so that the Reds can finally get their man.