Report: Talks held as Liverpool step up pursuit of World Cup ace who was keen to join in January
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Empire Of The Kop or go back to LFC Live.
Liverpool have reportedly stepped up their pursuit of a World Cup-bound defender after discussions took place with his representatives.Towards the end of the January transfer window, the Reds had explored a potential loan move for Lutsharel Geertruida, who was on loan at Sunderland from RB Leipzig. The Dutchman was believed to have been keen on coming to Anfield, but a deal proved too complex to pull off in time (The Athletic).DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE!
ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYThe 25-year-old has since returned to his parent club, who are understood to be open to offers of around £26m for the defender, with the Merseysiders believed to be among the interested parties from the Premier League.Geertruida’s representatives hold talks with LiverpoolLate on Tuesday night, a well-respected source on X shared an update which suggests that Liverpool aren’t giving up on trying to make a deal happen.It’s been reported that Geertruida’s representatives ‘have held talks’ with officials from Anfield, with the Merseyside club ‘very keen’ to sign the Netherlands international, who’s been called into his country’s World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured Jurrien Timber.Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustA move for Geertruida seems like a no-brainer for LiverpoolThere are several reasons why a summer swoop for the RB Leipzig defender would make so much sense for the Reds.Firstly, his versatility in being able to cover at right-back or centre-back would give Andoni Iraola greater scope in two positions where Liverpool were worryingly light on squad depth over the past few months.While Joe Gomez is also capable of playing anywhere across the backline, the Dutchman is only just coming into his prime footballing years and has a much more robust injury record than our long-serving number 2.The reported asking price of £26m is more than affordable for the Reds and there’d appear to be a mutual desire for the transfer to happen, so long as LFC can produce a convincing offer to Leipzig and fend off other prospective suitors for the 25-year-old.Geertruida’s sudden World Cup chance might prompt Liverpool to accelerate discussions with his representatives in order to try and strike a deal before his value potentially rises, should he impress alongside Virgil van Dijk in North America.A versatile, Premier League-proven operator who’s attainble for a reasonable fee and is at an ideal age, there are so many pluses to this prospective signing.
Richard Hughes can’t afford to drop the ball on this glorious opportunity to solve an urgent need in the Reds’ squad.