Liverpool make surprise BOMBSHELL decision on centre-back

Liverpool have made a surprising bombshell decision on an elite centre-back. This wasn't how we expected things to go.

Liverpool have some massive decisions to make around their centre-backs in 2026. There’s simply now way around that with how the cards have fallen.

Ibrahima Konate is at the front and centre of it all. His contract expires at the end of the campaign and Liverpool are yet to know what he’s going to do.

Konate, whose form this season has been questionable at best, did look near-certain to head to Real Madrid. They’ve since pulled out of the running, however, which could see him stay.

Joe Gomez was supposed to leave in the summer but the deal for Marc Guehi collapsed, forcing him to remain at Anfield. That could change again in the winter here but only if a player arrives.

Could that be Guehi? Liverpool still want him, though his expiring contract could tempt him into seeing out the season and receiving offers from everywhere.\

Giovanni Leoni’s injury is a wrinkle Liverpool didn’t expect. It leaves them light as things are, with only three senior centre-backs to call on.

So will they sign someone in January? It feels likely - but we now know one player it won’t be.

Liverpool out of Nico Schlotterbeck race

Sportbild report that Liverpool will not pursue a move for Nico Schlotterbeck. The Reds have absolutely looked at the player and considered a deal but they apparently don't see him as a priority.

Schlotterbeck will enter the final year of his contract after this season and that puts Borussia Dortmund in a difficult position. It no longer looks likely that he'll re-sign, forcing them to either sell or lose him for free in 2027.

Liverpool have been linked with a big-money move lately as they continue their centre-back hunt. It's a deal that generated some real excitement, too, as Schlotterbeck looks like a potential world-beater in the right setup.

But it seems the Reds like other deals more. Schlotterbeck is not a priority transfer for them and that surely means they've found more value elsewhere.

Could that be with a Konate renewal? Maybe Guehi's commitment to joining? Something has clearly happened if Liverpool are ready to just give up on Schlotterbeck - we're just not sure what.

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