Liverpool could sign Bundesliga's 'next Rio Ferdinand' after Joel Matip blow
VFL Wolfsburg defender Maxence Lacroix has become the first defender to be linked with Liverpool following the news that Joel Matip is set for an extended spell on the sidelines.
Speaking after his side’s 2-0 victory over Sheffield United on Wednesday night, Jurgen Klopp confirmed the defender has suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. Matip was forced off midway through the second half of the 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday after damaging his right knee, with subsequent scans revealing the devastating injury setback.
“It’s an ACL, ruptured,” Klopp revealed. “That’s unfortunately what I expected from the first second. It looked like that. Very unfortunate, but that’s it.”
Matip’s absence leaves Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and youngster Jarell Quansah as Liverpool’s centre-back options for the remainder of the campaign.
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And according to the Mirror, Lacroix is on the Reds’ radar. The report claims the 23-year-old could be available for £25 million plus, but Liverpool would look to try and negotiate for any player into the final two years of their deal.
The French youth international, who joined the German giants from Sochaux during the 2020 summer transfer window, can operate on the right of a back four as well as on either side of a central defensive partnership.
Lacroix started playing football thanks to his father, and in an article on the official Bundesliga website, he was compared to former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand.
“A centre-back cut from the ‘tall and lean’ mould rather than ‘big and hulky’ variety, Lacroix has a certain grace on
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