Liverpool are fifth in the Premier League for goals conceded (29) and are one of five clubs in double figures for clean sheets (10), so it doesn’t appear Jurgen Klopp has a fervent need for a centre-back. But Dean Jones told Give Me Sport that the Reds are on the hunt for Antonio Silva and may have to battle Tottenham and Manchester United for his signature this summer.
The 19-year-old rose through the youth ranks to Benfica’s first-team in 2022, making four appearances for the B team, 10 appearances for the Youth League and 38 appearances for the U23s before making 34 appearances at senior level. Silva has been a regular under Roger Schmidt this season, missing just three Primeira Liga games, so he’s indispensable at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
Silva is a 6ft 1in towering defender who would be third in the Liverpool squad for tackles per game (1.9), joint-second for interceptions per game (1.3), joint-second for blocks per game (0.5), third for passes per game (69.2), first for pass accuracy (91.7%), and joint-fourth for most accurate long balls per game (4.2), so it’s easy to see why the Reds would be keen.
The Portuguese international won’t come cheap, however, with a €100m (£88m) release clause, so that might prove a stumbling block in negotiations. Klopp has Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams, but a number of players have uncertain futures.
Konate, who joined Liverpool in 2021, has been short of playing time in his two seasons on Merseyside. He made 11/38 league appearances in 2021/22 due to being low down the pecking order and just 8/26 league appearances this season due to injury.
Gomez has started 13/26 league games, as Klopp has often preferred Van Dijk and Joel Matip at centre-back. But Matip has only played in 11 league games himself, so he’s also been rotated by his manager. Liverpool could do with another defender alongside Van Dijk as Gomez, Konate and Matip haven’t been a consistent partner to the 31-year-old this season.
Silva looks to have a bright future after his speedy rise to prominence, but time will tell if Liverpool can beat out alleged interest from Tottenham and Man Utd.
