Arne Slot's Liverpool powerplay: He's handpicked a new centre-back | OneFootball

Don’t be surprised to see Liverpool make a move for a senior centre-back option this summer.

Although Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet are coming to the Premier League champions’ backline we still could see a more seasoned defender arrive.

With Ibrahima Konate STILL not signing his new contract - and Joe Gomez as well as Virgil van Dijk out of contract in 2027 - there is a danger of an experience gap opening up at Anfield in the near future.

But if a new report in TEAMtalk is to be believed then Arne Slot has already handpicked his new centre-back arrival. This could perhaps be a power play from the Dutch head coach - who now looks guaranteed to stay on Merseyside for another season at least.

Arne Slot wants Sam Beukema

The 47-year-old is taking part in Liverpool’s plans to draw up transfer targets for the 2026/27 campaign and he wants Sam Beukema on board.

The 27-year-old Dutchman joined Napoli from Bologna last summer but hasn’t always been a first-pick for Antonio Conte. There might therefore be a chance for the Merseysiders to steal in and do a deal for a player that Slot has wanted for a long time.

“Liverpool are keeping close tabs on Napoli centre-back Sam Beukema,” the report reads.

“The Dutch defender is firmly on their radar ahead of the summer window. During his time at Feyenoord, Slot actively attempted to sign Beukema from Go Ahead Eagles, and that admiration has remained ever since.

“Slot has made his feelings clear internally, communicating his admiration for Beukema directly to Liverpool’s recruitment team, including sporting director Richard Hughes, as the club shapes their defensive shortlist.

“Beukema is under contract with Napoli until 2030, and sources indicate the Serie A side would only consider offers in excess of £30million (€35m, $40m), with the defender not actively up for sale.”

Sam Beukema: Situation summary

Sam Beukema’s first campaign at Napoli has been that of a functional starter rather than an undisputed pillar, sitting in the middle third of Serie A centre-backs for minutes plus Champions League group‑stage exposure.

On‑ball, he’s essentially an error‑averse facilitator: mid‑table for touches and progressive volume but posting elite retention (over 90% completion in Europe, 233/251 passes completed in the UCL group stage).

Defensively, the profile is more box‑defender than front‑foot destructor – around 1.0–1.4 tackles and 0.7–1.0 interceptions per 90, offset by a solid 3.5–4.3 clearances and above‑average aerial numbers in Serie A data sets.

Napoli paid c.€31m plus bonuses and tied him down until 2030 on about €3m net, so the club’s default stance is clearly hold, not flip.

For a real exit to materialise, you’re probably talking a bid that clears their book value and opportunity cost – something in the mid‑to‑high‑20s (€25–30m) if he settles as a rotational piece rather than a nailed‑on Conte starter, with most noise so far coming from the Bundesliga‑Premier League axis that tracked him at Bologna.