Club set to agree €20m Liverpool offer to sign African star | OneFootball

An African star could be joining Liverpool this summer.

The Reds are clearly preparing for a busy summer at centre-back, and Jeremy Jacquet looks set to be the first new face through the door at Anfield.

Liverpool have already agreed a deal for the young defender to arrive in July, with the feeling inside the club that he can provide useful depth in an area that currently looks a little short on options.

But Liverpool’s business in defence is far from finished. The club are expected to continue reshaping the back line over the coming months, with more additions already being planned.

Ifeanyi Ndukwe is another player set to join this summer, although Liverpool are not just focusing on young talent.

There is also a strong push to bring in at least one more experienced centre-back to help strengthen the squad ahead of next season.

A lot of this activity comes down to uncertainty surrounding several current defenders.

The biggest concern is the situation involving Ibrahima Konate, whose contract situation is starting to become a real issue for the club.

With no agreement over a new deal so far, questions about his long-term future are growing louder. As things stand, the possibility of Konate leaving is becoming more realistic, and Liverpool appear to be preparing for every scenario before the summer window really gets going.

At the same time, Joe Gomez continues to attract interest from elsewhere. He came close to securing a move to AC Milan last summer, and with his current deal running until 2027, Liverpool could be tempted to sell while his market value remains high.

If they both leave, Jacquet’s arrival will just the beginning, but even if they don't, the Reds already have their sights set on at least one more signing.

Let's be honest even if both Konate and Gomez stay, Liverpool still have several question marks over the long-term future of Gomez and Van Dijk.

With Gomez's injury history, there's a strong chance Liverpool will have to rely on Giovanni Leoni and Jacquet as their back-up options - two defenders who haven't played a minute in the Premier League.

Both of whom are also going to be coming back from injuries.

Their inexperience is not the biggest concern, it's more that Liverpool have no way of knowing how they are going to come back.

In order to bolster Arne Slot's options, it's now becoming clear that Richard Hughes needs to enter the transfer market again.

According to Ekrem Konur one player who is on the club's radar is Ousmane Diao. He claims Liverpool are targeting the Midtjylland defender ahead of the summer and it makes a lot of sense for the Reds to be going after him.

Liverpool have had a lot of scouts at Midtjylland games this season, so they will know him well.

At 21-years-old Diao represents the perfect profile. Despite his young age, Diao already have over 100 senior appearances under his belt. He's played over 50 games for Midtjylland and has proved to be a threat from set-pieces scoring 10 goals during his time with the club so far.

On the ball, he's a composed defender. He can hit it long and make cross-field switches that help progress his side quickly into advantageous positions. His accuracy when finding teammates with long passes is also very good.

What makes him an ideal profile is that he can play as a right-back as well and has done so on a few occasions for his club.

He's very good in his duels (won 70% in his senior career), sticks tight to his opponents and is very good at taking the ball from them using his upper body strength and his long legs to pry the ball away from their feet.

Not to mention, Diao is incredibly fast which makes him exemplary at defending the channels, making recovery runs and being the first to react to danger.

According to Konur's report, €20m is the offer Midtjylland will be looking to agree. For that kind of money, he's a bargain for Liverpool. It would not be a surprise to see Hughes putting this move in motion.