Liverpool are reportedly eyeing a move for Atalanta defender Cristian Romero as they look to add more strength and depth to their defence.
After a successful 2018/19 campaign with Genoa, Juventus signed Romero but immediately loaned him back to the former club. Due to stiff competition at Juventus, Romero moved to Atalanta on a two-year loan deal.
The 23-year old had an impressive season there as he assisted Atalanta to secure a third-place finish in Serie A, above Andrea Pirlo’s Juventus.
According to Calciomercato (via Team Talk), Liverpool are keen on bolstering their defence and believe that Romero can be a perfect fit for them. However, the defence will not come cheap as Atalanta want a whopping £50million for him,
Should Liverpool sign Cristian Romero?
The Reds failed to defend their Premier League crown last season. However, thanks to their solid late run in the league, they managed to secure Champions League football for next season. Their downfall last season was due to the several injuries suffered by their centre-backs.
Liverpool lead the race to sign Juventus centre-back Cristian Romero, who has impressed on loan at Atalanta. (Calciomercato) pic.twitter.com/zVb8tjAqLc
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Injuries forced Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Joel Matip to miss a significant portion of the season. Jordan Henderson and Fabinho were used as make-shift centre-backs but even they were forced to spend time on the sidelines. The continuous chopping and changing made Liverpool vulnerable at the back, and upset their rhythm going forward as well.
Romero featured in 31 Serie A games last season, making an impressive 2 tackles per game and 3.1 interceptions per game. He even scored and assisted twice each. All of this tells that he is a great player to have in both boxes.
He is a strong lad who is not afraid of competing in aerial duels. He is a fine distributor of the ball and can help the Reds to play from the back. Earlier in his career, he was criticised for not making timely tackles but he has significantly improved in that aspect of his game.
Liverpool have already made a vital acquisition in the defensive department this summer. The 22-year old Ibrahima Konate has made his way to Anfield from RB Leipzig for £36 million. He could partner van Dijk who is expected to be fit by the start of the upcoming season. Joe Gomez has shown that he has great potential and will provide cover to the first-choice defenders. Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams are also at Jürgen Klopp’s disposal.
With already five centre-back options available, it is hard to sense why the Reds would chase another top-class defender. Currently, Romero is valued at £27 million by Transfermarkt.com but it is believed that the Italian club can demand a much higher fee than that to sanction his exit.
It will be better for Klopp to spend these funds on purchasing another midfielder who can create goal-scoring opportunities. Gini Wijnaldum’s exit has created a void that should be filled in this transfer window by another quality midfielder as the likes of Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain haven’t done enough to justify their price tag.
Stats via Whoscored.com
