Journalist: Liverpool could move for former Premier League defender | OneFootball

Liverpool Transfer Latest: Why Illia Zabarnyi Feels Like a Deal With Real Logic

Liverpool’s search for a centre-back has started to come into sharper focus, and Illia Zabarnyi is a name that carries genuine intrigue. As David Lynch reported, there is a credible logic to the idea of Liverpool exploring a move for the Paris Saint-Germain defender, particularly given the connections already in place behind the scenes.

The broad picture is clear enough. Liverpool have added youthful options in recent windows, with Jeremy Jacquet arriving for £60m and Ifeanyi Ndukwe also joining a growing collection of developing defensive talent that includes Giovanni Leoni and Mor Talla Ndiaye. Yet recruitment is rarely about volume alone. It is about profile, readiness and fit, and in that respect there remains an obvious question at centre-half.

With Ibrahima Konate having left on a free transfer to Real Madrid, Liverpool are short of established, senior-level certainty alongside Virgil van Dijk. That matters all the more for a side now working under Andoni Iraola, whose teams demand concentration, mobility and confidence in one-v-one situations across the back line.

Illia Zabarnyi Has Clear Liverpool Appeal

Zabarnyi makes sense on several levels. Richard Hughes signed him for Bournemouth in 2023, while Iraola saw first-hand how effectively he could operate in a demanding Premier League environment. Those are not loose scouting references or distant observations. They are informed judgments built on direct experience, and that tends to count for a lot when Liverpool assess market opportunities.

The reporting around this possibility is careful rather than breathless, which often tells its own story. There is no suggestion of an advanced agreement or imminent breakthrough, but there is enough familiarity and enough positional need to ensure the situation is worth watching closely.

The key line from the original report was, “I think it’s one of those that you could see legs in,” followed by, “Richard Hughes will know him from his time at Bournemouth and will know everything about the player.” It was also noted, “Of course, the manager will like him as well.” Those points underline why this is more than a random link during a busy window.

PSG Situation Could Shape Liverpool Move

Any potential move would likely depend on Paris Saint-Germain’s stance. Zabarnyi is under a long contract and remains a player of considerable value, so Liverpool would need the French club to show some willingness before anything became realistic. That could come if PSG decide the fit has not fully developed as hoped, or if they are prepared to move him on at a more attractive price than expected for a player of his age and pedigree.

That part of the report was framed around Liverpool’s habit of acting decisively when a high-level player becomes available below peak market value. The comparison drawn was with Ryan Gravenberch, who arrived after things had not worked out at Bayern Munich and then settled successfully on Merseyside. The point there was not that the cases are identical, but that Liverpool have shown a readiness to attack opportunities when talent and value align.

Again, the direct quote was telling: “If PSG are in a situation where they think, ‘OK, this hasn’t quite worked out; we’re willing to do a cut-price deal’, that’s the sort of thing Liverpool tend to be all over.”

Liverpool Need More Than Potential at Centre-Back

This is the central issue. Liverpool have invested in youth and upside, but there is still a difference between promising depth and dependable senior quality. Van Dijk remains an elite reference point, though he is another year older, and it would be asking a lot to place too much burden on emerging defenders straight away.

That is why the rest of the source report lands with some force. “I think Liverpool are a bit short at centre-half,” was the assessment, and it is difficult to argue with that. There was also a realistic note of caution around timing, with the suggestion that the move may need PSG to conclude there is no major role for the player before it can gather momentum.

For now, this looks like a developing situation rather than an active endgame. But in market terms, it is a sensible one. Zabarnyi is 1.88m, right-footed, already experienced at international level with more than 40 caps for Ukraine, and has shown he can defend aggressively while remaining composed in possession. He reads danger well, competes strongly in the air and has already handled both Premier League and Champions League football.

In other words, the profile fits. The relationships fit. The squad need fits. The only real unknown is whether PSG create the opening Liverpool would require.

Our View

From a Liverpool supporter’s perspective, this is exactly the type of link that feels believable rather than manufactured. There is a tendency in transfer windows for every decent defender in Europe to be attached to Liverpool, but Zabarnyi stands out because there is a practical route to understanding why the club would look at him seriously.

Iraola knows what he is, Hughes knows what he is, and supporters know Liverpool cannot head into a long season relying purely on promise next to Van Dijk. Jacquet might become excellent, Leoni may have a huge future and the younger options are clearly rated, but there is a difference between talent and certainty when titles and Champions League football are on the line.

What appeals most is that Zabarnyi feels like a player entering his prime years with room to improve, rather than a short-term patch. He has already handled pressure, he knows the Premier League, and he seems stylistically suited to a team that will want to defend high and play forward quickly.

The obvious concern is cost. PSG are not known for making life easy in negotiations, and if they decide he still has a major role, this may go nowhere. But if there is a realistic opening, Liverpool should be aggressive. This has the feel of a smart market opportunity, and one that could become more compelling as the window develops.

Source: David Lynch