Liverpool are reportedly ready to splash £18 million to permanently secure the services of on-loan FC Schalke centre-back Ozan Kabak this summer.
A recent report from 90 min has shed some light on Ozan Kabak’s situation at Liverpool. It appears Jurgen Klopp is delighted with the defender’s progress at Anfield, since joining the club on a short-term loan deal from Schalke that included a buyout clause worth around £18 million.
It is believed that Liverpool fully intend to activate that option in the summer and permanently secure the services of Kabak, who is being viewed as a long-term prospect for the club. This is hardly surprising given the fact that the Reds are prepared to add some reinforcements to the defensive unit this summer, after struggling with an injury crisis for the most part of the campaign.
In fact, both of their premier centre-backs in Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are not yet fully fit and might take some settling in after they return to the pitch next season. There are also concerns over Joel Matip’s long-term future at the club, as the former Schalke man, too, has suffered from various niggles over the years.
Liverpool’s other options include Ben Davies, Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams, none of whom have a lot of experience at the highest level of football, with Davies yet to even make a single appearance since joining the club in January.
It leaves Kabak as the ideal long-term option for Klopp, especially given how the Turkish international has slowly settled in at Anfield as well as the pace and physicality of the Premier League. He has looked better with each passing week, though his form has not coincided with Liverpool’s return to groove.
The permanent addition of the on-loan Schalke star could be a smart move from a sporting perspective as well, as he can serve as an ideal competitor for Gomez next season. Liverpool, though, are more than likely to splash the cash on another centre-back, with recent reports suggesting a move for Ibrahima Konate.
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The RB Leipzig defender has been reportedly linked with an exit from the Bundesliga, following the footsteps of his teammate in Dayot Upamecano. The Reds, though are also tracking other options including Inter Milan’s defensive ace in Stefan de Vrij.
