Liverpool could reportedly make a move to sign long-term Man Utd target Jarrad Branthwaite with Ibrahima Konate looking likely to join Real Madrid.
The Reds started the season very well with five wins from their first five Premier League fixtures as they raced clear at the top of the table.
But two defeats in four days to Crystal Palace in the Premier League and Galatasaray in the Champions League have turned the mood slightly with previous poor displays now becoming an issue for some.
Their midfield and defence have come under scrutiny with the performances of Konate one concern amongst a lot of supporters and pundits.
Liverpool are one injury away from disaster with Giovanni Leoni potentially out for the full season and the Reds failing to get a deal for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi over the line on deadline day.
With Guehi’s contract up at the end of the season, Liverpool could face increased competition for his signature in the January transfer window and Everton’s Branthwaite – who has been the subject of bids from Man Utd in the past – is now an option.
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Former Man Utd and Tottenham scout Mick Brown told Football Insider: “Branthwaite will certainly be on the radar at Liverpool.
“I’d be very surprised if he was to move in January, Everton won’t want to let him go and he’s had this injury which he needs to recover from.
“Clubs like Liverpool will be keeping an eye on that I’m sure, seeing how well he recovers and if he gets back to his best quickly because it’s another long layoff for him.
“Plus, he’s a left-sided centre-back, and that’s the position Van Dijk plays in at the moment so bringing him in would do little to solve their problems.
“But like I say, that interest will be there as a long-term option, and maybe he could come in and develop his game a bit more by learning from Van Dijk.
“I just don’t see him as a replacement for Konate, and it would be a shock to see him leave Everton now.
“I expect they’ll keep an eye on how he progresses over the rest of the season and then if they think there’s a position for him, that might be when they make a move.”
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Spanish website Defensa Central insists that ‘the media and agent world is practically 99% sure that Konaté will be a Real Madrid player for the next five seasons’.
Despite not playing well this season, Real Madrid ‘has a lot of faith in his potential’ with Konate able to solve their ‘weakness’ at set-pieces and crosses.
Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol slammed Konate’s performance in their 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend with the France international “unbelievably horrendous” in the first half.
Nicol said on ESPN: “It would be really harsh to pull one person out, but I think the man that was at the start of it was Konate. He had an absolutely, unbelievably horrendous first half.
“He couldn’t pass the ball properly, he kept giving fouls away, he got booked, he’s trying to fight Mateta. I know Konate’s a big lad but Mateta’s bigger than him and you’ve got to use your brains.
“Unfortunately today Konate didn’t use any brains whatsoever. So, he kicked it off and it almost kind of spread like a disease after that. Everybody giving the ball away.
“And when you give a ball away against Crystal Palace, it is really the thing they do best. They exploit mistakes from the opposition and then they get at you quickly going forward.
“Only some poor finishing, particularly from Mateta, is the reason that Liverpool were still in this game at all.. The truth of the matter is that all of the things Liverpool didn’t do well today are the same things they haven’t done well all season… Liverpool’s backline just doesn’t look composed at all.
“Yes, you would hope the midfield can stop the opposition getting at the backline as often as it does. But at the end of the day the backline is there to do the job and right now it doesn’t look comfortable anytime it is asked to defend – whether it is today or the previous games.
“Liverpool might be sitting top of the league still but Arne Slot still has a lot of questions that need answering that he hasn’t quite found the answer to yet.”