Liverpool get INSTANT reply as England star lined up

Liverpool have an immediate reply as they ramp up interest in an England star. The Reds have grand plans for 2026.

Liverpool will enter the transfer market for a centre-back, almost certainly in January. There are a few reasons we feel confident saying that.

Firstly, Giovanni Leoni is injured. The teenager had a fantastic debut for Liverpool against Southampton but it ended in disaster as a knee injury will now keep him out for at least the rest of the season.

And so with that, Liverpool are short at the back. Only three centre-backs remain in the squad and that's simply not enough.

But adding to that is the fact Liverpool wanted to sign Marc Guehi at the end of the transfer window. Crystal Palace collapsed the deal right at the last minute, however, leaving the Reds shorter than they planned on being.

They will almost certainly look to rectify that in January, with reports now linking them to a different England international. It's now claimed by TBR that Liverpool want Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa - with Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur also in the hunt.

It's an interesting one and it also appears that Liverpool have already had an answer of sorts.

Aston Villa and Ezri Konsa

Football Insider reports that Aston Villa have absolutely no intention of selling Konsa in January. They're under no pressure to do so and want to hold onto the player.

For his part, Konsa isn't searching for an exit and while we imagine Liverpool could perhaps turn his head, there's no push to unsettle his position at Villa Park. It certainly feels, then, that this is a no-go, at least for the winter.

That shouldn't be a surprise, given Konsa has a contract running until 2028. Liverpool's only hope is that Villa would rather have the money than the player - and it doesn't appear that's the case in January.

We still firmly believe that the Reds are going to push for a centre-back. 28-year-old Konsa is unlikely to be someone they pay over the odds for, however, and we'd feel confident saying that they'll move onto someone new.

The only question is who? Do they pay a lot of money for a starting star, or do they simply look for someone to fill the fourth-choice role that Leoni was supposed to fill?

It's a tough one but they'll need to find the right target over the next two months. Getting that centre-back feels absolutely vital for the Reds' season.

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