Tottenham turmoil giftwraps Arne Slot favourite for Liverpool

Liverpool are in the midst of a centre-back overhaul.

That process began last summer when Richard Hughes paid £26m to Parma for teenager Giovanni Leoni.

Big money was committed in January for Jeremy Jacquet - with the Rennes defender officially linking up with the Premier League champions in summer when his £62m move goes through.

Other signings have included Mor Talla Ndiaye, Noah Adekoya and Ifeanyi Ndukwe - although that trio looks further away from the first team than both Leoni and Jacquet.

But the potential departure of Ibrahima Konate creates a more immediate problem - that cannot necessarily be solved by signing youngsters.

The 26-year-old is well-established as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League but is out of contract at the end of the season. The loss of Ibou would create the need for an experienced top-flight centre-back to come straight into the team.

Liverpool in battle to sign Micky van de Ven

And that’s why links with Micky van de Ven make a lot of sense.

The 24-year-old Dutchman - a long-term favourite of Arne Slot - has been a bright spot in a dismal Tottenham season.

Now looking set for relegation from the Premier League Spurs have shelved contract talks with their star defender - who seems certain to leave even if they stay up.

Liverpool will be joined by Manchester United and Real Madrid in their pursuit of Van de Ven - according to a new report in TEAMtalk.

“The board is deeply concerned about retaining key talent should the club suffer the unthinkable and drop to the Championship," the report reads.

“Dutch centre-back Micky van de Ven is expected to depart regardless of survival, with the 24-year-old eager for regular Champions League football.

"Contract talks between Van De Ven and Spurs have been put on hold while the club focuses on battling relegation.

“Manchester United have joined Liverpool and Real Madrid in showing strong interest in the composed defender, who has been a standout despite the team’s struggles."

Arne Slot has already tried to sign Van de Ven

Van de Ven is under contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until 2029 - meaning Spurs are quite well protected from a transfer fee perspective.

But relegation could change the picture significantly and Liverpool could end up signing another relegated star following the success of Gini Wijnaldum, Andy Robertson and Xherdan Shaqiri.

He is an international colleague of plenty of Liverpool stars - including Virgil van Dijk, Jeremie Frimpong, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch.

Furthermore Slot attempted to sign Van de Ven when he was in charge of both AZ and Feyenoord in the Eredivisie.

Given his age and quality - and his preference to play on the left-hand side - Van de Ven could also be groomed into a long-term successor for Van Dijk at club level.

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