Superstar available to complete Richard Hughes' remarkable Liverpool rebuild

Liverpool's last piece of the puzzle appears to be available as they continue their defensive rebuild.

Liverpool rebuilt their attack in the summer, moving key players on and building around Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike. It was the largest investment they've ever made - and largely came in one area.

But that wasn't all. The Reds also signed stars at left-back and right-back with record-breaking deals. Even goalkeeper has been reshaped for the future - several players left and three new goalkeepers joined the ranks.

Though, they will need to wait for Alisson Becker to stand aside before truly taking over.

With that all 'complete', new areas will be the focus for 2026. That includes the centre of defence, where Richard Hughes and company will shake up a vital area.

It's an area that needs a shake up, too. Ibrahima Konate's contract will expire in the summer, while Joe Gomez's future is incredibly uncertain. He almost certainly would have left the club if a deal for Marc Guehi was finalised ahead of the season.

And what about Virgil van Dijk? The Dutchman won't leave this summer (surely) but he will enter the final year of his deal. A long-term successor is necessary.

Liverpool's centre-back rebuild

The centre-back rebuild is well underway, of course. Giovanni Leoni arrived last summer as the future of the defence, even if his debut ended in brutal misfortune with his knee injury.

But Liverpool have continued the investment. Jeremy Jacquet has been signed from Rennes and joins in the summer - the long-term future will, hopefully, be the Frenchman and Leoni.

We can't imagine the Reds stop there, however. Konate's departure would necessitate a senior centre-back who offers experience and a footballing prime, especially as they'd likely need to take over Van Dijk's role the following year.

For us, that player is Nico Schlotterbeck. We've said before that he'd be an absolutely vital signing for Liverpool and one who could take over from Van Dijk long-term.

El Desmarque claim he's almost certainly leaving Borussia Dortmund this summer, too, as the Germans have accepted they can't hold onto him. That's a situation Liverpool must take advantage of.

Schlotterbeck would provide the experience that the new signings lack, while giving the squad a near-finished product at the back. Again, that's something they haven't invested in just yet but simply have to as part of this rebuild.

There's no better option for Richard Hughes to invest in, that we can see, and Schlotterbeck should be at the top of the shortlist. Get him in and the rebuild will look complete.

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