Richard Hughes must avoid agreeing terms with 'nightmare' defender at all costs

It's no secret that Liverpool's form has been rather topsy-turvy this season.

Their last couple of performances against Qarabag and Newcastle have been some of their best, but, more often than not, they've performed well below expectations.

Players such as Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo have been a fraction of their former selves with their poor performances causing Liverpool all sorts of issues.

However, one of their main problems has been the fitness of their defence with several members of their first-team squad being ruled out with rather lengthy injuries.

This has caused several different rumours to emerge and with Ibrahima Konate's future still undecided, it's clear that improving Liverpool's defence is going to be on top of Arne Slot and Richard Hughes' priority list over the next few months.

And, even though fans would take almost any semi-decent defender at this point, there's one player who the Anfield outfit should absolutely avoid at all costs.

Dayot Upamecano would bring nothing but trouble to Liverpool

Even though Dayot Upamecano's contract is set to expire at the end of the 2025-26 season, that doesn't mean that Liverpool should make a move for him.

The Frenchman is undoubtedly a gifted player but, since he's still not agreed an extension to his contract with Bayern Munich, it's clear that he could quickly become a problem at Liverpool.

Over the last couple of years, expiring contracts have been the bane of the Reds' existence with Trent Alexander-Arnold and potentially Konate both exiting Anfield for next to nothing.

This, coupled with the fact that Upamecano is 27-years-old and clearly wants more money than he's been offered by Bayern are all massive causes for concern.

In fact, his performances haven't always been top notch either with Rio Ferdinand even saying that he put in a "nightmare" performance for RB Leipzig after their defeat against Manchester United back in 2020.

Of course, he will have improved since then, but, from the Champions League games he's played over the last few years, he doesn't look much better than Konate and he's certainly nowhere near the level of Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool should look at a younger or more versatile alternative to Dayot Upamecano

Although Upamecano becoming a free agent at the end of the season is an exciting prospect, the centre-back will likely demand a massive signing-on fee alongside his over £300,000-per-week wage demands.

This is not the way that Liverpool do business, unless they know that the player they're signing is going to become their best player.

Marc Guehi's failed Anfield switch proves this with Slot and Hughes allowing Manchester City to swoop in and prise the Englishman away from Crystal Palace for just £20 million.

With Van Dijk likely to be entering his final season with Liverpool next year, the Reds must start to plan for life without the Dutchman and without some younger options who can learn from one of the best defenders in the world, Liverpool could be digging themselves a rather deep hole.

Joel Ordonez or even Lutsharel Geertruida could be valid options for Liverpool to explore in the future with both transfers making much more sense than Upamecano's arrival would.

There's no knowing what Liverpool have planned for the future, but, if it includes making a bid for Upamecano, they should turn their attention elsewhere as soon as possible.

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