Defensive bottleneck
©IMAGO
Liverpool FC is woefully thin on the right-back position. Conor Bradley, who recently increased his market value to 30 million euros, has been out since mid-January due to knee surgery and will miss the second half of the season, while ex-Leverkusen player Jeremie Frimpong shuttles between the injured list, starting eleven and the bench. This circumstance means that the Reds are looking for an access to the right back and, according to “Sky” information, they have found one at AFC Sunderland: Lutsharel Geertruida, who is on loan from RB Leipzig to the Black Cats, is therefore coach Arne Slot’s preferred candidate. The player would like to take advantage of the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
The Dutchman trained his compatriot at Feyenoord Rotterdam for three years and used him 127 times – no footballer played more often under slot. The basic requirement for a transfer on Deadline Day is that Sunderland, which has a valid contract with the player and RB Leipzig until June 30, 2026, gives in. According to “Sky”, they would not put any obstacles in the way of the professional, provided they find a suitable replacement for Geertruida by 8 p.m. on February 2nd.
Sunderland reportedly agreed on a purchase option worth 20 million euros with RB. The 26-year-old right-back played 17 times for the Black Cats this season – he started ten games and failed to score. For Leipzig he achieved similar figures in his only season, which are well behind his performance in the Feyenoord jersey, where he contributed to 14 goals in 47 games under Slot in 2023/24.
Former Freiburg player Roland Sallai is considered another candidate for the right defense. The Hungarian international moved to Istanbul in 2024 for €6 million and will play primarily as a right-back for the Turkish champions for the first time in his career this season. He previously played as a winger and offensive all-rounder. However, Galatasaray has a similar bottleneck on the right side of defense as the Reds. Sallai’s contract with the Lions runs until 2028, and Geertruida’s with RB runs until 2029.
