Liverpool have entered talks with Championship side Preston North End over a deal for defender Ben Davies.
The Athletic’s James Pearce reports that Preston value the 25-year-old at around £2 million.
The Reds are suffering an injury crisis at the back, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and stand-in Fabinho all out injured.
Liverpool in Talks to Sign Ben Davies From Preston
Injury Crisis Worsened
Liverpool’s injury problems at the back have been an issue since the injuries to both Vam Dijk and Gomez in quick succession.
Midfielder Fabinho, who has experience of playing at right-back for Monaco, stepped in superbly alongside Joel Matip, while youngsters Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips were also brought into the spotlight on a rotational basis.
After injury to Matip, though, captain Jordan Henderson was also dropped back, but with Fabinho now joining them on the sidelines (although Jurgen Klopp says it’s not a serious injury), the Reds have had to break from their original plan and dip into the market.
Davies Was Close to Celtic Move
It had been reported earlier this week that Davies, with six months left on his deal at Preston, was in talks over a pre-contract agreement at Celtic.
Boss Neil Lennon was confident of landing the defender, saying: “Hopefully we can get it tied up before the deadline. We’d like it to happen but again, I can’t say for sure whether it’s going to happen or not.”
Liverpool, though, look to have ruined that deal for the Scottish champions.
With the defensive issues worsened, the Reds hierarchy had been considering all available options to them – including loans and permanent deals.
Most of the options suggested were short-term fixes, such as Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi or free agent Nevan Subotic.
Others such as Gleison Bremer and Eder Militao had been mentioned, while there were also suggestions of landing West Ham United’s Issa Diop.
He, though, according to Pearce, would have likely cost a fee of over £20 million given Liverpool’s and West Ham’s proximity to each other in the Premier League table.
While Davies’ signing isn’t exactly a marquee addition, it’s a much-needed one for a sensible price at a time where the Reds would have to fork out a huge premium to sign someone who could actually compete with the levels of their usual first-choices.
It’s also a chance for Davies to prove himself at the highest level, which could earn him either a longer deal on Merseyside or a move to another Premier League club.
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