Liverpool have taken steps in recent transfer windows to shore up the future at centre-back.
Ibrahima Konate will officially leave the club on a free transfer once his contract expires this month and Virgil van Dijk as well as Joe Gomez are only under contract for another year.
The renewal process kicked off last summer when Giovanni Leoni arrived on a £26m deal from Parma. In January Mor Talla Ndiaye was recruited and deals were also put in place for both Jeremy Jacquet and Ifeanyi Ndukwe.
Those signings should stand Liverpool in good stead going forward - with one more top central defensive prospect now set to arrive.
It’s been widely reported that Dara Jikiemi, 16, will be joining Liverpool this summer. The Celtic-trained centre-back has been expected to join up with the Reds from July 1.
And now we have a report from Scotland which suggests the Scottish underage defender is one step closer to an Anfield move.
Because the Daily Record is claiming that Jikiemi has turned down Celtic’s last-gasp contract bid to keep him at Parkhead.
“Top Liverpool target Dara Jikiemi has turned down a new deal at Celtic,” the report reads.
“The Scottish champions had tabled a new long-term contract but the 16-year-old has rejected that in recent days.
“Celtic have been informed of Jikiemi’s decision and the centre-back looks set to move on this summer.
“Liverpool have been in the mix for several months and are favourites to secure a deal.”
That leaves the outgoing Premier League champions in the driving seat to finalise the signing of one of the most promising young centre-backs around.
It is initially expected that Jikiemi will feature for Liverpool’s under-18 side - with a pathway surely in place for him to develop further up the age groups.
Liverpool also secured the signing of Ben Gannon-Doak from the Celtic academy back in 2022 with the winger going on to become a full Scottish international.
No doubt Reds’ recruiters will hope Jikiemi shows similar promise once his signing is fully agreed.
