Liverpool are set to face stiff competition from AC Milan in pursuit of their January defensive target in Schalke’s Ozan Kabak.
According to Gazzetta Dello Sport, AC Milan have emerged as a potential destination for Ozan Kabak. The Italian giants have been alerted by Liverpool stepping up their chase to sign the Schalke defender and are, therefore, ready to rival their Premier League rivals in the upcoming January transfer window.
Milan have had an outstanding start to their Serie A campaign, securing four wins in the opening five matches. However, manager Stefano Pioli is keen on adding more options at his disposal in light of a current injury crisis that sees Matteo Gabbia and Mateo Musacchio sidelined, leaving him with Alessio Romagnoli and Simon Kjaer as the only two reliable options in central defence.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are actively searching for central defenders following the ACL injury to Virgil van Dijk. The Dutchman has been ruled out for a long period, which was combined with Fabinho’s knock, in the game against Midtjylland. And with Joe Gomez already having a difficult campaign, Jurgen Klopp is in desperate need of reinforcements in the defensive unit.
Former Liverpool great Mark Lawrenson had recently urged the club to make a move for Wolves star Conor Coady, who is also a childhood Liverpool-fan. Unfortunately, the Englishman has been quick to blow away those suggestions.
As far as Kabak is concerned, he is regarded as one of Bundesliga’s most talented young centre-backs, having enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough at VfB Stuttgart before moving to FC Schalke. He has impressed the onlookers with his discipline and talent, especially during his time at Stuttgart.
That said, Kabak has had a disastrous campaign at Schalke so far, with his team losing four of their opening five matches in the Bundesliga. During those fixtures, the Turkish international has been quite awful, failing to provide any sort of defensive solidity to the table. His positioning, in particular, has been average, to say the least.
Moreover, the 20-year-old isn’t particularly great with the ball at his feet either. Although Kabak still has time on his side and could potentially improve his game, he is certainly isn’t an immediate solution to Liverpool’s apparent need of a quality central midfielder to provide cover for van Dijk.
The Reds, therefore, should shift their attention to other alternatives, with RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano, who is already courted by Manchester United, appearing as a viable option for Klopp.
