'Becoming serious': Fabrizio Romano provides Dayot Upamecano transfer update with Liverpool name-drop

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Liverpool are working hard behind the scenes to plan ahead and beat their competitors to their top targets.The Reds had a hugely successful summer in the transfer market but due to many factors out of their control, big problems have arisen.Liverpool were already short of options at the back in the summer, hence why they moved for Marc Guehi, but after that fell through, they had to make do with what they had.However, Giovanni Leoni then picked up an ACL injury and now Ibrahima Konate has returned back from international duty with a quad issue, leaving them even lighter in defence.With this leaving just Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez as their options now, the Reds will be thinking about dipping into the market as soon as possible, and Fabrizio Romano has hinted that Dayot Upamecano could be their man.Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty ImagesLiverpool in the race for Dayot UpamecanoGuehi is certainly still an option for Liverpool and is their priority for the summer, but that does not mean they will not try other targets as well or perhaps even as early as January.Bayern Munich’s Upamecano is in the same boat as the Palace captain as both will be free agents in less than 12 months, with the pair also having interest from all the top clubs.That will not stop the Reds trying to get both of them, however, and Romano has offered an update on the Frenchman’s situation, confirming that Liverpool are very keen.“Bayern will have a new meeting with his agents, on his side they are very clear, they want an important salary and signing on fee,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.“There are several clubs in the race for Upamecano, from England, from France, Spain, some big, big, big clubs all interested.“Upamecano is very happy at Bayern, very happy with Kompany, but they need to reach an agreement financially.“Several clubs are calling, the potential free agent bomb for Upamecano is a possibility. Competition is becoming serious and being attentive.READ MORE: John Obi Mikel suggests what made Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard even tougher than Roy Keane“Liverpool will be in the market for a defender in 2026, PSG and Real Madrid might be there as well.”From January, the Reds can start negotiating a pre-contract with Upamecano alongside the other clubs outside of Germany who are interested, indicating that this will be a very busy month for Richard Hughes.Liverpool must bring in a centre-back in JanuaryLiverpool do not tend to do stop-gap deals but they have in the past, with centre-backs like Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies arriving mid-season as options just in case.Of course, the Reds will now need a higher standard of player, but something like this might need to happen again, mainly as Guehi and Upamecano would likely not join in January due to the extra money they will get departing as a free agent.Granted, they should still try for at least one of these two as their employers may welcome lower offers so they do not lose them for nothing.Guehi would likely be the better option due to Palace needing the money more than Bayern, as well as the Englishman already proving himself to be a very adept Premier League centre-back.It is certainly a tough time at Liverpool right now and it could get worse given their injuries at the back, but if they can make it to January, their title defence could still be alive.