Liverpool join race for 19-year-old defensive prodigy

Liverpool’s centre-back department is going to require attention in upcoming transfer windows.

With Ibrahima Konate out of contract in 2026, it is expected that the Reds will be in the market for a replacement should no new deal be agreed.

Fast forward to 2027 and Virgil van Dijk as well as Joe Gomez will both see their terms expire - and that’s why so many centre-backs have been linked of late.

We could see a move for Marc Guehi as soon as January - while there is also interest in other senior options like Nico Schlotterbeck, Ronald Araujo and Alessandro Bastoni.

Liverpool looking at Dylan Lawlor

But sporting director Richard Hughes always has one eye on the future - as his £26m summer deal for 18-year-old Parma defender Giovanni Leoni proved.

The Italian is expected to marshal the backline for the Premier League champions in the long term but he is currently recovering from an ACL tear suffered on debut.

Liverpool have also got their eye on one of British football’s fastest-rising stars if a new report in TEAMtalk is to be believed.

Several major clubs now looking at Cardiff City star

Dylan Lawlor has enjoyed a breakout year for Cardiff City - and made his senior Wales debut earlier this year aged only 19.

Renowned for his composure on the ball the homegrown centre-back is destined to be at the forefront of a transfer tussle involving all of the Premier League’s major clubs soon - as well as some in Europe.

“Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have entered the frame for Lawlor in recent weeks, joining rivals Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in their admiration for the ball-playing stopper,” the report states.

“German giants Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig have also been keeping tabs on him.”

Lawlor already involved on Wales set-up

Lawlor is under contract with Bluebirds until 2028 and could well be playing football at a higher level in the near future given his rapid rise through the ranks.

He has racked up three senior caps for Craig Bellamy’s senior Wales side thus far in his short career and was also named as August’s EFL Young Player of the Month.

Cardiff were relegated at the end of the 2024/25 season and will be looking to get back into the Championship at the first time of asking with Lawlor still on board beyond January.

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