Juventus “would like to” keep Liverpool target

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Twelve months ago, Liverpool were champions.Arne Slot’s side had swept through the Premier League in his debut season, delivering the title with a swagger that suggested the start of something sustained.Fast forward to May 2026, and the picture looks considerably different.The Reds sit fourth in the table with 58 points heading into Matchday 36, scrapping for a Champions League spot rather than defending one from the top.The gap between last season and this one has been stark, and the reasons are not hard to identify.Injuries have been relentless. Alisson Becker, Mohamed Salah, Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, Giovanni Leoni, and Hugo Ekitike have all spent significant time on the sidelines this season, with several of them simultaneously absent at the club’s most critical moments.The 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford last weekend, in which United completed a league double over Liverpool for the first time since 2016, came with Salah and Isak both missing from the starting lineup.The squad depth that looked sufficient last August has been exposed repeatedly throughout the campaign.Off the pitch, the summer ahead promises to be one of Liverpool’s most consequential in years.Mohamed Salah is heading for the exit.Andy Robertson looks set to depart.Virgil van Dijk, the captain, is being linked with a move to Galatasaray.The rebuild, in short, is not a distant prospect — it is already beginning.Central to that rebuild is the defensive question.With Van Dijk’s future uncertain and the club actively investing in younger centre-backs, signing Giovanni Leoni last summer and agreeing a deal for Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes — Liverpool need established quality to come in alongside that youth.And according to reports emerging from Italy this week, they have identified their primary target.Liverpool have made Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu their top priority for defensive reinforcement this summer.The 25-year-old French international has been on the Reds’ radar for some time, with scouts sent to monitor him closely as far back as March.According to TuttoJuve, Liverpool are now “ready to make a concrete move” to bring him to Anfield, viewing him as the standout option in the available market.Kalulu joined Juventus on loan from AC Milan in August 2024 before the Turin club made the deal permanent a year later for €14 million.He has since established himself as one of Serie A’s most reliable defenders — tactically versatile, sharp in one-on-one situations, and comfortable in possession-based systems.He is contracted at Juventus until 2029, with the club having explored a new deal worth €3.5 million per year through to 2030, though no concrete progress has been made on those talks.That stalled contract situation is precisely the opening Liverpool intend to exploit.Juve describe the Kalulu case at Juventus as “delicate.”The Old Lady would like to keep him, he is considered an important piece of Luciano Spalletti’s sporting project, but the reality is that a sufficiently large offer could force a decision.The financial pressure of potentially missing the Champions League next season makes resisting a serious Premier League bid considerably harder.Liverpool are not alone in their interest, with several other English clubs tracking the Frenchman’s situation closely.But the Reds, it appears, intend to move first and move with intent.For a side that needs to rebuild its backline while retaining the quality to compete at the highest level, Kalulu fits the profile precisely, young enough to be a long-term solution, experienced enough to step in immediately.Juventus would like to keep him.Liverpool, it seems, have other ideas.