Centre-backs are likely to be hot property in the upcoming summer transfer window, with Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea all being linked with a host of names to solve what is clearly an area of weakness in all their squads.
Manchester City currently look set to run away with the Premier League title and may be among the major favourites to win the Champions League this season after investing smartly in signing Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake in the summer, while John Stones’ return to form has also been key to their success.
By contrast, Liverpool have fallen out of the title running due to injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez at the back, with all three of these top defensive players missing much of the campaign with fitness issues.
MORE: Another HUGE injury blow for Liverpool
Man Utd also looked for a while like they could be genuine title challengers, but it seems clear that Victor Lindelof is not really a good enough first-choice partner for Harry Maguire.
Chelsea brought in veteran centre-back Thiago Silva last summer, but their failure to bring in more long-term options in that position as upgrades on Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen has surely cost them a proper stab at the title.
Dayot Upamecano was recently announced as a new signing for Bayern Munich next season, and so it will now surely be down to these ten top central defenders to strengthen the Premier League giants…
Ibrahima Konate
Along with Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate has impressed a great deal at RB Leipzig and now looks set to attract plenty of suitors this summer.
The Athletic have named him as one of Man Utd’s summer targets in defence, and Sport Bild have also mentioned Liverpool and Chelsea as admirers of his, saying he has a tempting release clause of just €45million.
Whoever wins the race for Konate’s signature would undoubtedly be landing a top young player who could improve their defensive performances for many years to come.
Jules Kounde
Also linked in that Athletic article mentioned above, it’s claimed that United have scouted Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde recently.
The 22-year-old is clearly a huge talent after impressing in La Liga, and it would be great to see him play his football in the Premier League at some point soon.
However, there’s some concern from MUFC that Kounde’s asking price might be too high for them right now, according to the Daily Mail.
Niklas Sule
Niklas Sule is apparently one of the targets on Chelsea’s list as well, with his place in the Bayern Munich first-team perhaps no longer certain…
Sule has been a solid performer in the Bundesliga and will be a player new Blues boss Thomas Tuchel knows well.
Speaking about Sule to Spox, Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge wouldn’t rule out a sale, saying: “We will hold talks and see where they lead. We will look at it seriously and calmly until the summer. Corona [coronavirus] has also caused financial damage to FC Bayern. If we find a solution, we are generally happy to extend the contract, but that will only be possible under certain conditions.”
Ben White
A fine young defender who caught the eye on loan at Leeds United last season, Ben White is now showing what he can do in the Premier League as well.
The Brighton star looks likely to have a big career ahead of him, and he’s already being talked up as a target for the three clubs we’re focusing on in this piece.
White has been linked with Liverpool by the Liverpool Echo, with Man United by the Manchester Evening News, though Goal have suggested Chelsea may now have cooled their interest since Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as manager.
Pau Torres
Another fine young defender, Pau Torres has shown his qualities for Villarreal and he’s being talked up for a big move.
ESPN have linked the Spain international with Man Utd, while it’s also been suggested that the likes of Real Madrid and Arsenal could be battling for him, according to El Periodico Mediterraneo.
Torres is certainly up there with the likes of Konate, Kounde and White as good enough options to improve this Red Devils side.
Merih Demiral
Liverpool could do well to address their defensive issues with Juventus ace Merih Demiral, who looks a fine young player who’s not yet established himself as first choice in Andrea Pirlo’s side.
Fanatik have linked the Turkey international with Liverpool, Tottenham and Leicester City, so one imagines there’ll be a chance to lure him away with the promise of more playing time.
Demiral could be a much more reliable option than the injury-prone Matip and Gomez alongside Van Dijk next season.
Sven Botman
After impressing at Lille, Sven Botman seems to have worked his way onto Liverpool’s radar, though a January move never happened.
Still, the Dutchman seems one to look out for again in the future, if Fabrizio Romano’s tweet above is anything to go by.
Eder Militao
Eder Militao has been repeatedly linked with Liverpool in recent months after his struggles at Real Madrid.
Once considered a big prospect for the future, the Brazilian has not lived up to expectations at the Bernabeu, though it’s easy to see why someone like LFC could be keen on him as an option to strengthen a problem position.
Militao has been linked with Liverpool by Duncan Castles and again more recently by Todo Fichajes.
Nikola Milenkovic
Nikola Milenkovic looks to have impressed at Fiorentina and could also be on the market this summer.
He’s mentioned as one of a number of options for United in a report from The Athletic, but he doesn’t currently seem to be a top priority for them.
Still, given how much competition for top defenders there’s likely to be, Milenkovic could still end up being one to watch in the weeks and months ahead.
Gleison Bremer
Finally, another centre-back being linked with Liverpool is Torino’s Brazilian ace Gleison Bremer.
The promising young Brazilian could be one of the cheaper options on the market in the summer, with the Daily Mirror linking him with a possible £10m move to Anfield.
If other options don’t work out, Bremer could be a smart signing to strengthen Liverpool’s defence without spending a fortune.