Liverpool join Man City in race for €35m Premier League star as Klopp prepares defensive REBUILD
Cameron Smith
- 11 Sept 2023 14:39 BST
- 4 min read
Liverpool and Manchester City are keeping tabs on West Ham United and Morocco defender Nayef Aguerd, according to reports, as they both plot a potential move in 2024.
Aguerd, 27, is being watched by both English top flight giants, as per The Sun, but it seems as though Liverpool are monitoring the centre-back very closely as Jurgen Klopp eyes a new top class defender.
The Sun have reported that Klopp is planning a defensive ‘rebuild’ next summer after the Reds addressed their issues in midfield this window.
READ MORE: Romelu Lukaku stops Chelsea from signing €60m star
Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Endo and Ryan Gravenberch were all purchased for a combined €172 million during the recent summer transfer window, but defence remains an issue for the Anfield side.
Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip are both 32 years old, while Ibrahim Konate has had consistent injury problems since he arrived from RB Leipzig in 2021. In fact, Liverpool have spent just €61.8m on new defenders since they signed Van Dijk from Southampton in January 2018.
Calvin Ramsay, Ibrahim Konate, Kostas Tsimikas, Ben Davies, Sepp van den Berg and Ki-Jana Hoever are the six defenders to have joined Liverpool for a fee since 2018.
READ MORE: Van de Beek's Man Utd exit takes unexpected January twist
By comparison, Man City, the other team interested in signing Aguerd, spent €90m on RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol just last month.
Aguerd to leave West Ham?
The 27-year-old was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia before the Saudi Pro League transfer window closed last week, but West Ham were not willing to sanction a sale without being able to sign a replacement.
However, Liverpool and Man City are monitoring a move for Aguerd next summer as they look to bolster their backlines.
West Ham signed Aguerd for €35m from Stade Rennais in 2022, but his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is currently only €19.5m.
Aguerd has made three appearances for West Ham so far this season, and scored in their 3-1 win over Chelsea during the second week of fixtures. However, he has also sent off during that game.
