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Liverpool are fearful that they will be beaten to the signing of Wolfsburg centre-back Konstantinos Koulierakis by Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window, the latest report has claimed.
Though many Reds supporters believed that the team would challenge for the Premier League title after the club spent in the region of £450m in the summer, there are calls for further expenditure in the winter.
Arne Slot's men reside in eighth place with 18 points after 11 matchweeks, with his side losing 3-0 against Manchester City last Sunday at the Etihad.
Liverpool have conceded 17 league goals already this season, a figure they did not reach until matchweek 17 in 2024-25, so it is no surprise that they have been linked to a number of defenders.
The Reds have been credited with interest in centre-back Koulierakis, but Football Insider claim that the 21-year-old is also a key target for Tottenham Hotspur, who are said to be ahead in the race to sign the Greek international in January.
January transfer window: Why Liverpool need to sign Konstantinos Koulierakis
One of Koulierakis's biggest strengths is his ability with the ball at his feet, with no other Wolfsburg player attempting more than his 503 passes in the Bundesliga.
In fact, he has played the most passes into the final third of any player in the Wolves' squad (32), and given Liverpool have struggled to play out from the back this season, his addition in January would likely be beneficial.
If the Merseysiders improved their ability to play out from defence, they would be able to prevent teams from winning the ball and launching counter-attacks as often.
It should be noted that Koulierakis has predominantly played as a left-sided centre-back, so he may have to adapt to the right side as he is unlikely to displace Virgil van Dijk.
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Konate has not yet signed a contract extension and will be able to leave for free at the end of the season unless the club can agree new terms with the Frenchman.
His potential exit may leave the Reds needing to complete several deals in the backline over the next two windows considering captain Virgil van Dijk is 34 and is only contracted to Anfield until the end of 2026-27.
Liverpool have already experienced upheaval in both full-back spots given Trent Alexander-Arnold left to join Real Madrid last summer, while the decline of Andrew Robertson saw the team recruit Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth.
It is no surprise that the Reds have been linked with numerous centre-backs in the past months, including the likes of Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace and Nico Schlotterbeck of Borussia Dortmund.
Bringing in a defender in January could limit the potential disruption in defence, and the sooner Liverpool finalise their succession plans for their current group of central defenders, the more likely they are to be successful on the pitch.