Liverpool are ready to raid a Bundesliga club as they look for a Joel Matip replacement.
Matip is likely to miss the rest of Liverpool’s season, with manager Jurgen Klopp having confirmed the centre-back suffered a serious knee injury.
The defender came off 20 minutes from the end of Liverpool’s 4-3 Premier League victory over Fulham on Saturday and since, Klopp has admitted the 32-year-old Cameroonian had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.
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Matip, who joined Liverpool from German side Schalke seven years ago, is in the final year of his contract with the club.
"It's what I unfortunately expected from the first second," said Klopp. "Everything looked like that. It's very unfortunate."
Matip has made 201 appearances in all competitions scoring 11 goals
With Matip likely to not play for the Bundesliga club again, the Sun have claimed that Klopp is now on the market for a replacement and has cited Wolfsburg defender Maxence Lacroix and Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi as possible alternatives.
Lacroix has been in the Bundesliga since 2020, when he joined Wolfsburg from Sochaux in 2020. The German club would reportedly only want £30million for his services as he only has 18 months left on his deal.
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The 23-year-old, who is one of the fastest players in the Bundesliga, can also operate at right-back.
Germany has proven a good hunting ground for Liverpool in recent years, with the Anfield club having recruited Matip and Ibrahim Konate from the Bundesliga in the past, as well as summer signings Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo.
Meanwhile, the Sun also claim Klopp is also targeting England and Palace defender Guehi. The Eagles will reportedly listen to offers over £50million but are not interested in allowing the 23-year-old to leave next month.
In the meantime, Konate is the most likely candidate to partner Virgil van Dijk, with Joe Gomez and youngster Jarell Quansah also at the club.
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Football, Liverpool, Bundesliga, Marc Guehi, Joel Matip