Four alternatives to Marc Guehi who Liverpool have already identified with 'high data scores'

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Liverpool Echo IconSportFootballLiverpool FC transfer newsLatest Liverpool transfer news and gossip as the Reds continue to be linked with signing a new central defender in 2026 following Giovanni Leoni's devastating knee injuryLiverpool are reportedly putting plans in place to strengthen the centre-back department during the January transfer window. The Reds had a busy summer for new signings, with eight new additions being made to Arne Slot's squad.One of the new signings made by Liverpool was Giovanni Leoni, who arrived in a £26million deal from Parma.

The Reds centre-back made his debut for the club in the 2-1 win over Southampton in the Carabao Cup last week, but suffering a serious knee injury during the game.Leoni is expected to be sidelined for several months with the injury, which leaves Liverpool with just three senior centre-backs available in the squad - Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez.READ MORE: Liverpool's stance on signing Chelsea star in January after he suffered devastating blowREAD MORE: Alisson, Ekitike, Chiesa - Liverpool injury news and return dates ahead of Chelsea clashWith Konate out of contract in the summer, reports are emerging that the Reds are putting plans in place to sign a new defender in January.It has been reported by talkSPORT that Liverpool have four players on their shortlist in the event they fail to sign Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi.The Reds had a £35million deal in place to sign Guehi on deadline day before the move fell through at the eleventh hour.The report claims that Newcastle United's Sven Botman, Paris Saint-Germain's Willian Pacho and Sporting CP duo Ousmane Diomande and Zeno Debast are all on Liverpool's shortlist ahead of the January transfer window.It has been said that all four players have 'high data scores' in the metrics used by Liverpool to assess potential new signings.Botman and Pacho are suggested to be difficult to sign in the middle of the season, while Diomande's contract is said to be expiring in 2027.For the latest news and breaking news, visit liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/liverpool-fc. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.Follow us on Twitter @‌LivEchoLFC - the official Liverpool ECHO LFC Twitter account - for all the latest LFC news as it happens in real time.We're also on Facebook/LiverpoolEchoLFC - your must-see LFC news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Liverpool ECHO.Listen to our podcasts by searching for 'Blood Red' wherever you get your podcasts.Sign up for one of the Liverpool Echo's free daily and weekly newsletters on Liverpool FC by clicking here.