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Liverpool remain firmly in the market for a new defender in the last two months of the summer transfer window.
The Reds had a busy June, with July likely to be reserved for completing outgoing deals on the whole.
But there is still room for an addition or two, with a centre-back badly needed following the imminent departure of Jarell Quansah.
Once Quansah goes, Liverpool will be left with just three senior centre-backs.
Clearly, that is not enough.
Reports on Saturday suggested Liverpool are closing in on Marc Guehi, but those claims were cooled on Sunday, with a move for the Crystal Palace defender seemingly reliant on his price-tag dropping.
As Rousing The Kop revealed in May, Liverpool are keen to sign a young defender this summer, in a deal separate to any arranged for Guehi.
And as speculation continues over who the chosen one could be, Reds fans should be paying close attention to Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini.
Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images
So far, when suggestions have been raised over who Liverpool could target outside of Guehi at centre-back this summer, the same crop of names have been mentioned.
The likes of Nathan Zeze, Ousmane Diomande, Jorell Hato and Arsenal-bound Cristhian Mosquera have been put forward time after time.
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Curiously, though, Scalvini has not featured in these conversations.
That is despite the 21-year-old being one of Europe’s most outstanding young centre-backs.
Liverpool were linked with Scalvini as far back as September 2023, when the Italian was yet to even turn 20.
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Interestingly, Newcastle are said to be hot on Scalvini’s trail, with reports in Italy suggesting it would take £34-42m in order to sign the youngster.
While Liverpool may be balking at similar numbers to sign Guehi with one year left on his contract, they may see it as a more acceptable number in regards to a big-potential talent like Scalvini.
Back during Richard Hughes‘ early days as Liverpool sporting director, The Times reported that the Scotsman is ‘well connected’ in the Italian market and was keen to utilise those connections while at Anfield.
SeasonAppearancesGoalsAssists2021/2221102022/2334232023/2444232024/25800Giorgio Scalvini at Atalanta
That manifested in the surprise addition of Federico Chiesa last summer, and perhaps it could be of help again if Scalvini is heading for a move this year.
The one glaring issue which all fans will likely point out surrounding the Atalanta defender is that he does have a slightly chequered history with injury.
Having entered the season recovering from a long-term knee injury, the Italy international picked up a shoulder problem at the end of January, which ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.
Nevertheless, Scalvini’s talent is clear, and with Hughes already garnering a reputation as a stealthy operator, and his knowledge of the Italian market seemingly unrivalled, Liverpool fans should not rule this one out.
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