Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Diego Llorente and are preparing a €45 million move for the 26-year-old defender.
According to a report by Spanish outlet La Razon, Diego Llorente is the subject of interest from Premier League leaders Liverpool. The Reds are considering a summer move for the Real Sociedad defender, who has a €45 million release clause in his contract with the La Liga outfit.
Diego Llorente has gone from strength to strength since joining Real Sociedad from Real Madrid in the summer of 2017. Three years on and the 26-year-old has become a regular at the back for La Real while also breaking into the Spanish national side.
So far, the player has racked up 77 appearances for Real Sociedad, showing remarkable progress while also chipping in with 7 goals and 2 assists. His development seems to have been noted by Liverpool, who are considering a summer move for Llorente.
Liverpool have become one of the best teams in Europe under Jurgen Klopp, with their success being built on the back of a rock solid defence. However, the German manager is intent on improving his squad further with a fair few targets being identified for different positions.
Defence seems to be one area Klopp is eager to add to, especially with Dejan Lovren being linked with a summer exit. If the Croat leaves, the Liverpool boss will need a centre-back despite the fact that the Merseyside club signed Sepp van den Berg last summer, seeing as the Dutch youngster is still not deemed ready to become a first-team regular.
As a result, Liverpool have been linked with a number of centre-backs, with Kalidou Koulibaly one of many central defenders to be name as a target. Now, though, it looks like Liverpool are showing an interest in Llorente.
The report suggests that Llorente is open to the idea of leaving Real Sociedad in the summer, with Liverpool facing competition from AS Monaco. In order to land him, though, the Reds and Monaco will need to shell out €45 million.
As per La Razon, Liverpool are prepared to meet Llorente’s valuation, although they are also looking at economical options in Leandro Cabrera and Zouhair Feddal. Both Cabrera and Feddal will cost a fraction of the €45 million fee that Llorente will command, although the priority is the 26-year-old Real Sociedad man.
What now remains to be seen is if Liverpool’s interest in the Spanish international is serious, or if some other centre-back emerges as a priority for them. For now, it looks like the €45 million-rated Llorente is just another central defender who is on the Reds’ radar.
