Bayern Munich centre-back Dayot Upamecano has been credibly linked with a move to Liverpool by sources in Germany, with his contract set to expire at the end of 2025/26.
Liverpool find themselves in an uncertain position when it comes to their centre-back plans, after a failed move for Marc Guehi and with talks ongoing over Ibrahima Konate‘s future.
Guehi was poised to join from Crystal Palace in a £35 million deal on deadline day only for his club to pull out at the last minute – and there is no guarantee he will join in the future.
Meanwhile Konate is yet to agree terms on an extension despite his camp receiving offers, with doubts over whether he will be a Liverpool player beyond this season.
That has prompted claims of interest in Bayern and France defender Upamecano, whose own contract is also due to run out on July 1.
BILD‘s Tobias Altschaffl and Sky Germany‘s Florian Plettenberg have both named Liverpool as an interested party as Bayern struggle to tie down their No. 2.
Upamecano has been touted as a target for the Reds since he was a teenager at RB Leipzig, with strong links up until his €42.5 million move to Munich in 2021.
Now with his deal running out at the Allianz Arena it stands to reason that, as a club needing reinforcement in the centre-back position, Liverpool could revive their long-standing interest.
Konate is not the only defender facing an uncertain future, with Joe Gomez widely expected to be on his way out had the Premier League champions managed to close a deal for Guehi.
Giovanni Leoni is also ruled out for the remainder of the campaign – and likely into next season too – having torn his ACL on his debut.
Virgil van Dijk signed a new two-year contract at the end of last term but he turned 34 in July and the reality is that his game time may need to be managed in the future.
Would Upamecano be the right fit for Liverpool?
Whether Upamecano is the right candidate is a matter for debate, having earned a reputation as a rash defender whose front-footed approach can expose him at times.
However he is clearly an accomplished, elite-level centre-back who has been a first-choice starter for Bayern for five seasons now.
In many ways he is similar to his countryman Konate, and given the possible need to replace their No. 5 that may explain Liverpool’s renewed links with Upamecano.
Arne Slot‘s side have also been credited with an interest in Sporting CP’s Zeno Debast and Ousmane Diomande as well as new claims of a move for Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck.
It remains to be seen if Liverpool will look to sign another centre-back in January, in light of Leoni’s injury, but it cannot be ruled out at this stage.
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