Liverpool dealt potential blow in efforts to sign "extremely important" £43.8m ace this summer

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He’s an important figure on the pitch. That’s what everyone sees but off the pitch as well, he’s one of the leaders.

He’s outstanding and in my eyes, a world-class centre back. I can do only so much but it’s in the club’s hands, together with his agents and himself so let’s see what comes out of it but I have no influence otherwise on that.” But centre-back reinforcements remain a must for Liverpool, with Konate not yet signing a new deal, Gomez potentially leaving and Giovanni Leoni working his way back from a serious knee injury.

Is Nico Schlotterbeck Liverpool’s strongest centre-back option? He is also a main contributor for This Is Anfield, one of the world's biggest Reds-related sites, where he writes features and news, and covers matchday content.