Liverpool head into the summer transfer window in an awkward spot, as the recruitment team must find ways to fix problems within the squad, but with only so much money to spread around many different positions.

Injuries have been one of several mitigating factors for Arne Slot over a difficult 2025/26 campaign, while another is the drop in form of some key players.

Leaders will be leaving the club over the summer, as Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson part ways in search of a new challenge, but they aren’t the only important exit for Liverpool.

Ibrahima Konate is set to leave the club as a free agent, after the Reds failed to agree a new contract extension, meaning he will leave in late June.

GMS Sources understand that Liverpool aren’t going to enter the market for replacements, as they focus attention elsewhere in the months to come.

However, they must reconsider, with one option clearly able to fix a problem at the back for the recruitment team.

Liverpool Must Push To Sign Alessandro Bastoni

While it is understandable that Liverpool want to put faith in their current options, there is a deal out there that makes sense to push for in the form of Alessandro Bastoni.

The Inter Milan centre-back has been rumoured about an exit, with Barcelona the main suitors, though Sport recently reported that their interest has cooled.

That could open up a free run for Bastoni, who has been touted as the “best defender in the world” at several different points in his career so far, or at least firmly in the conversation for it.

Liverpool need to add quality to the backline quickly this summer, due to the current combination of their options at centre-back.

There are two youngsters in the form of Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni, who will make mistakes as they grow into their roles, while Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez enter the final year of their contracts.

It means that, whether it’s this summer or next, Liverpool will likely need to dip into the centre-back market again, having lost the opportunity to keep a peak-age player like Konate on a long-term deal.

Bastoni is 27, approaching the peak years of his career, and has shown plenty of leadership qualities and traits that Liverpool need at the very top level.

There are concerns, whether that’s due to finances for a deal or whether he could adjust to a back-four system immediately, but the ability is indisputable.

It’s an opportunity that Liverpool must take to help for this coming season, as well as future-proofing themselves for the coming transfer windows.

Bastoni’s Inter Milan Stats

What makes Bastoni’s career all the more impressive is the experience he brings for someone who is still yet to reach the peak of his powers.

The centre-back has nearly 300 games for Inter Milan under his belt, having joined the club back in 2017 and breaking through at a young age as a defender.

It suggests there is even more to come from a player who could go on to cement himself as the best in the world, even with the high-profile mistakes in the past year.

With a deal that only runs until 2028, Liverpool could set themselves up for long-term success by landing Bastoni ahead of any of their rivals.