Liverpool aren’t short of centre-backs with Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Nathaniel Phillips at their disposal, but Tuttosport (h/t Sport Witness) say the Reds are still trying to take Perr Schuurs to Anfield. Liverpool made a bid for the 23-year-old that was rejected by Torino, but they’re expected to return this summer.
With Konate starting 17 of their Premier League games last season, Gomez starting 15 times, Matip starting 12 outings and Phillips managing only one, Klopp hasn’t had a settled backline. And should he want to separate the wheat from the chaff, replacements will need to be lined up.
Schuurs joined the Serie A outfit from Ajax in 2022 and has gone on to make 33 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal with two assists. While yet to represent the Netherlands at senior level, the 23-year-old has been a regular for Torino, playing in 30/38 Serie A games last season. He even featured three times for Ajax at the start of the campaign before making the switch to Italy.
As per the report, Liverpool have had a €30m (£26m) bid rejected by Torino but are expected to return with a fresh offer over the coming weeks. Technical director David Vagnati has reportedly intimated to representatives he will do a deal at €40m (£34m). Schuurs wouldn’t break the bank and his stats from last season suggest he could actually be a bargain acquisition.
The 23-year-old averaged more tackles per game (1.7) than Gomez (1.3), Phillips (1), van Dijk (0.8) and Joel Matip (1). He was dribbled past (0.4) fewer times per game than Konate (0.6) and Matip (0.9). He had a better pass completion ratio (88.2%) than Konate (87.2%), Matip (86.7%), Gomez (86.6%) and Phillips (86.6%). And only van Dijk averaged more clearances per game (4.2) than Schuurs.
It’s easy to see why Liverpool are interested, and Schuurs would surely jump at the chance to make the move – Torino finished 10th in Serie A last season while Liverpool will be in the Europa League and are pushing for a title challenge in 2023/24.
