‘Vital’ Liverpool star’s January exit now depends on one thing despite growing confidence from Milan

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Liverpool are going through a defensive crisis right now but rumours continue to circulate.The Reds find themselves in a very tricky predicament as they have just two first-team centre-backs fit and available as things stand.Giovanni Leoni is ruled out for the season with an ACL injury, while Ibrahima Konate is suffering with a quad injury that saw him sent home from the France squad early.This leaves just Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez as their only options, although the latter is still being linked with a move away.Gomez came close to joining AC Milan in the summer and their interest still remains, with the Italian giants still wanting him in January, but they know it is dependent on one thing.Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty ImagesArne Slot will have to make a decision on Joe Gomez The last thing Liverpool need right now is speculation surrounding any of their players, especially in defence. But that is the way football goes and Gomez is still being heavily linked with a move to Milan, even though the transfer window does not open for almost another three months.And according to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, Milan are still pushing to sign him and believe that his desire to play regular first-team football will be enough to convince him to join.

However, they state that the final decision is down to Arne Slot as with Leoni being unavailable for so long, they understand that it might prove tricky to convince the Dutchman to let him go.If Slot opts against letting him leave, Milan will reportedly move on swiftly to other options, with a formal attempt all reliant on the Liverpool boss.READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp discusses Liverpool’s current poor form and backs ‘outstanding’ player to bounce backNow 28, Gomez has not struggled at Liverpool due to ability, but because of his injury record, although this might be his chance to show that he can still play a ‘vital’ role.Liverpool cannot allow Joe Gomez to leaveEven if the Reds bring in a centre-back or two in January, they simply cannot allow Gomez to depart mid-season.Liverpool’s current options are very injury prone and the future of Konate is very uncertain, meaning that he needs to be kept until the summer just in case.As well as this, Gomez is a reliable option when fit, whereas the new additions that they will need to bring in might not be, suggesting he is a good safety option at the very least.The fact he is still yet to score his first goal might also be a wholesome reason why they need to keep hold of him, with this something that every Red wants to see him do donning their shirt.