Liverpool urged to swoop for 'sensational' Premier League defender in January

Liverpool and Arne Slot face a potential defensive crisis with Joe Gomez injured, Ibrahima Konate one booking away from suspension, and Giovanni Leoni out long term

Maxence Lacroix is being linked with Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

Arne Slot could find himself heading into 2026 with just a single senior center-back available due to injuries and potential suspensions.

The Reds are already without Giovanni Leoni for the entire season following the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury he sustained on his debut against Southampton in September. Additionally, Slot is currently unable to utilize Joe Gomez, who suffered a hamstring injury during the win over Brighton earlier this month.

Fortunately for Liverpool, Gomez's absence isn't expected to be a long-term one, with captain Virgil van Dijk expressing optimism that his fellow defender will return soon. Gomez has been absent from the Reds' victories over Tottenham and Wolves in the past two weeks, and it remains uncertain whether he'll recover in time to face either Leeds or Fulham this week.

However, if he continues to be sidelined, Liverpool risks heading to Craven Cottage with Virgil van Dijk as the only available senior center-back. This is because Ibrahima Konate is just one yellow card away from serving a one-match suspension, having received his fourth caution of the Premier League season in the last match against Wolves.

If the French international receives a booking against Leeds, he'll be forced to miss the journey to Fulham. However, if he manages to avoid a card in the match against Leeds, he'll dodge the looming suspension threat, with the punishment then shifting to a two-match ban for accumulating 10 bookings within 32 games after the season's halfway point.

Thankfully, this predicament remains hypothetical, at least for now. But it underscores the precarious position the Reds have found themselves in throughout the first half of the season, particularly since losing Leoni to injury in September.

Lacroix and Marc Guehi are teammates at Crystal Palace(Image: Getty Images)

Of course, they could have sidestepped this issue entirely had their summer plans come to fruition, when a move for Marc Guehi was thwarted by Crystal Palace at the eleventh hour on transfer deadline day. Liverpool continues to show interest in the England international, who is out of contract at the end of the season and expected to leave Selhurst Park on a free transfer.

However, Liverpool is not the only team vying for his signature, with the prevailing expectation being that Guehi will see out his current contract rather than making a mid-season move when the transfer window reopens.

This hasn't deterred Liverpool from being encouraged to make a renewed bid for the 25-year-old. But the England international isn't the only center-back Liverpool is reportedly interested in.

The Daily Mail suggests that Guehi's Palace colleague, Maxence Lacroix, has previously been on the Reds' radar, while Joel Ordonez of Club Brugge, Oscar Mingueza of Celta Vigo, and Brentford's Nathan Collins have also been linked with potential moves to Anfield.

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock would be delighted to see the Reds revisit their pursuit of Guehi to strengthen their backline. However, he would be equally pleased if his former club opted for Lacroix instead.

"I think Marc Guehi would be a really good replacement," he told Aceodds. "What you get from him is leadership and a player who has played on an international level.

"He has constantly been an outstanding player for England whenever he has been called up. He is very comfortable on the ball. He is not the tallest, but he uses his physicality to outweigh the lack of height. The way he reads the game is outstanding.

"I actually like Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace as well. I think he is a sensational player. What he has is an immense pace, and what that allows you to do is to go man for man with van Dijk and Lacroix at the back. He has the physicality as well.

“I think if they were to sign either Guehi or Lacroix, they would be very happy with either choice. They are both brilliant defenders.”