Liverpool told why €75m target would be perfect partner for Van Dijk

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been told exactly what qualities reported target Diego Carlos would bring to their defence if the Premier League champions-elect opt to push through a summer deal.

The Brazilian defender moved to Spain from Ligue 1 side Nantes in the summer and has impressed, appearing in 24 matches in all competitions to help the club into fourth place in the table and in with a chance of bringing Champions League football back to the Ramon Sanchez Stadium.

The 26-year-old’s displays, however, have not gone unnoticed and it was reported on New Year’s Eve that Liverpool were interested in signing the player and that the Reds had tabled an offer for his services.

According to Spanish news outlet El Desmarque, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is also casting eyes on Diego Carlos, whom he sees as an ideal long-term replacement for Sergio Ramos.

However, the source adds that Liverpool remain in the driving seat and are willing to do what it takes to beat their European rivals to his signature, with the player seen as the perfect foil to play alongside lynchpin Virgil van Dijk in the heart of their defence.

It is claimed that Klopp‘s side could activate the €75m release clause in his contract to bring him to Anfield.

Carlos, it is said, has “everything” to be able to become one of the best centre-backs in the world and would reportedly benefit more by moving to Merseyside than to the Spanish capital.

Furthermore, the player’s former manager at his first European club has also spoken of the player’s enormous potential.

Fabiano Soares, who worked with Diego Carlos during his time at Portuguese side Estoril, has been hugely impressed by his progress in LaLiga and reckons he has exactly what’s required to succeed in the Premier League.

“There are some Real Madrid defenders who are worse than him. At Barcelona, there’s a lot more space because they’re a team who need fast players. And he’s very fast. That is why Klopp should be keeping an eye on him,” Soares told ESPN Brasil [via Sport Witness].

“He is a dynamic, intense, fast player. Football nowadays, for the slow player the market isn’t so good. Players who are fast and strong and competitive and who have quality, the coaches will always look at them.”

 

A partnership in defence of Carlos and Van Dijk would surely be one of the meanest around and Klopp believes the addition of the 26-year-old can add more steel and consistency to their backline with the likes of Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez all suffering from various injuries over the last couple of seasons.

Liverpool have also been linked with promising Leeds loanee Ben White, though he would cost some distance less, according to a report.

Reds attacker Mohamed Salah, meanwhile, has been advised by an Arsenal man that he’d be making a huge mistake by ditching Anfield for a transfer to Real Madrid this summer.