On Wednesday Liverpool confirmed the arrival of Jeremy Jacquet.
The 20-year-old Frenchman comes on board for a fee that could reach £60m from Rennes. Injured in February the France under-21 international is nonetheless expected to be fit for preseason under new coach Andoni Iraola.
Jacquet is part of a new wave of Liverpool defenders as Richard Hughes sets about safeguarding the backline into the future.
Last summer Giovanni Leoni was signed from Parma for a fee of £26m and others - such as Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe have also been recruited.
Liverpool have lost Ibrahima Konate on a free transfer to Real Madrid and are set to wave goodbye to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez next summer if not sooner.
Big changes therefore are coming to Iraola’s defence - but one problem could be a lack of experience.
No one is doubting the potential of Jacquet, Leoni and others but a useful element in the squad would be a seasoned Premier League player who could guide them through a couple of seasons.
A candidate has emerged in the shape of Micky van de Ven. With Tottenham signing Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi there could be an opportunity to do a deal for the 25-year-old Dutchman.
Spurs have been frustrated in their attempts to get Van de Ven signed to a new contract with his current deal expiring in 2029. Therefore Liverpool could take advantage.
Football Insider is confirming that Van de Ven is a genuine Liverpool target - but also warsn that Roberto De Zerbi’s side are holding out for £100m for the defender.
“Tottenham Hotspur would demand at least £100million if Liverpool attempted to pull off a stunning move for Micky van de Ven this summer,” the report reads.
Van de Ven has been at Spurs since 2023 - moving from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg. He has been on the radar of Liverpool - and former head coach Arne Slot - for quite some time.
Slot tried to get him while in charge of both AZ and Feyenoord but Van de Ven decided to go elsewhere.
Now it appears he is being looked at as the ideal solution to the impending problem of Van Dijk’s exit - with the Dutch captain out of contract in 2027.
