How Liverpool can replace Trent Alexander-Arnold AND Joe Gomez for €15m

Liverpool have trouble brewing at the back but there's an ideal defender who could be the solution they're looking for.

Liverpool could lose Trent Alexander-Arnold at the end of the season. That much is obvious to anybody paying attention to football right now.

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He's out of contract and Real Madrid are blatantly eager to sign him up. The lack of a new deal suggests he's at least open to moving to Madrid - and the longer this drags on, the more realistic that becomes.

Of course, Liverpool have a replacement ready. Conor Bradley is a superb right-back and he'll step into the Alexander-Arnold void if he has to.

But then the Reds are short. Joe Gomez can provide cover there but he's also linked with an exit from the club.

He was a possible exit last summer and was open to the idea. As his contract gets nearer to expiry, that becomes a whole lot more possible in 2025.

With both Alexander-Arnold and Gomez facing the exit door this year, Liverpool are in trouble. That's a gaping hole left in their defence there, at both right-back but also centre-back.

But there could be an ideal player to fill that hole.

Bafode Diakite is the bargain Liverpool need

Bafode Diakite is a 24-year-old defender currently shining for Lille this season. In fact, Liverpool will come up against him shortly as the Reds welcome the French side to Anfield in the UEFA Champions League.

We're big fans of Diakite, primarily for his ability to cover both right-back and centre-back well. That, after all, is the post-Gomez gap.

He ticks the right data boxes, certainly (per Football Critic). Diakite completes 93 per cent of his passes, wins his duels etc.

But he also completes 4.5 long balls per 90 minutes. The Frenchman is getting six passes together in the final third, too - which highlights that ability to play in the attacking areas.

Because that's the real strength here as a potential Liverpool squad player. Diakite can move to right-back despite being a natural centre-back, holding the team together in the morning versatile role.

He gets shots off and scores decisive goals. Diakite has scored twice this season - one was an opener, the other an equaliser.

Here's a defender who can provide in that final third while also being a regular part of Ligue 1's joint-best defence after Paris Saint-Germain. And they only trail the champions by one goal in that regard.

Football Transfers has Diakite down as a €15m player. That, for us, is potentially a bargain as Liverpool look to rescue a vital area of the pitch.

He's one to watch. Especially when he comes to Anfield this month.

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