Liverpool are keeping an eye on Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa ahead of this summer when the Reds are expected to further strengthen their defence, according to David Ornstein for The Athletic.
The 23-year-old is understood to also be of interest to Tottenham as they too look to bolster their backline for next season.
Konsa is described as ‘one of the options’ Jurgen Klopp is exploring ahead of a drive to recruit defenders in the off-season after months of injury turmoil at Anfield.
The German has already been forced to use 13 different central defensive partnerships in the league this season, with Ozan Kabak the latest to feature alongside Jordan Henderson on Saturday.
The Athletic‘s report discusses Konsa’s international future whilst suggesting that Villa will look to extend the Englishman’s contract beyond its current 2023 expiry in order to stave off potential suitors.
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Mercifully, Liverpool completed a face-saving and potentially season-saving double deadline day swoop for Kabak and Ben Davies.
However, as with all last-minute arrivals, it’s difficult to gauge whether they were the number one target and therefore considered the long term solution, especially with Kabak only initially signed on loan from Bundesliga side Schalke 04.
Statistically, Konsa measures up well to Liverpool’s existing centre-back options, having earned an average match rating of 7.01 this season with Sofascore, winning 80% of all ground duels along the way – superior in those departments to Virgil van Dijk (6.68, 68%) and Joe Gomez (6.6, 52%) prior to their injuries.
