Liverpool centre-back contract deal has just got COMPLICATED

Liverpool will soon have a problem to solve at centre-back.

The club are already looking quite short in the position - currently having only Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez available.

That’s because Giovanni Leoni - a £26m signing from Parma last summer - was injured on debut and is not expected to play again this season.

Then there’s the strange case of Marc Guehi.

It looked like a done deal on deadline day - but Crystal Palace pulled out of a deal at the last minute for their captain.

'Bad news' for Liverpool over Upamecano

Factor in Konate’s expiring contract - with the Frenchman due to depart in 2026 if no new deal is agreed - and you can see why there are plans to add more quality in the position.

One such name linked in recent months has been Dayot Upamecano. The 27-year-old is in a similar position to his Les Bleus colleague with his Bayern Munich contract expiring at the end of the season.

It has been speculated that Richard Hughes would seek to do a deal for Upamecano in order to line up a top replacement for Konate.

But now a report from Bayern insider Christian Falk states that it’s “bad news” for Liverpool in the chase for Upamecano.

Real Madrid and PSG more likely for Upamecano

According to his report, Bayern remain optimistic that their star defender will agree a new contract.

He is enthused about working with head coach Vincent Kompany and the possibility of a new deal hasn’t been ruled out. However if the central defender is going to move on from the Allianz Arena, Liverpool are not going to be among the contending teams.

Real Madrid - in the chase for Guehi and Konate as well - are an option for Upamecano while there are plans at Paris Saint-Germain to repatriate the French international too.

Liverpool could go for Bastoni

Therefore Liverpool will have to double down on their efforts to land Guehi - either in January for a fee or else on a Bosman next summer.

And the club’s decision makers could also do with improving their offer for Konate - otherwise options at centre-back will look even more limited than they are now.

We could also see the Premier League champions decide to complete a big-money deal for a central defender with the likes of Alessandro Bastoni and Nico Schlotterbeck among those associated with a Merseyside move.

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