According to reports from Netherlands, Liverpool are among four Premier League clubs showing an interest in an Eredivisie defender.
Algemeen Dagblad claimed that the Reds – along with Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham – are in the hunt for Lutsharel Geertruida, who’s played under Arne Slot at Feyenoord.
The Rotterdam club are yet to receive an official bid for the 23-year-old, whose future is set to be resolved after Euro 2024, in which he’s participating with the Dutch national team.
The report states that ‘in conversations with’ impending new Feyenoord boss Brian Priske, it has been ‘made clear’ that Slot’s replacement won’t have the right-back as part of his squad for next season.
Speculation about a possible move to Anfield for Geertruida intensified after it became clear that Slot would be Jurgen Klopp’s replacement, and also after the defender was spotted among Liverpool supporters at the Reds’ 2-2 draw against West Ham a few weeks ago.
The 23-year-old has excelled in a number of metrics over the past 12 months, with his match averages for non-penalty goals and xG, pass completion and progressive passes placing him among the top 1% of right-backs in Europe for each category (FBref).
He also ranked in the top 11% of positional peers on the continent for shots per game and the top 16% for touches in the opposition’s penalty area, with clear signs that he’s a player who just loves to bomb forward and make an impact in the final third.
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If Liverpool are to seriously pursue Geertruida, it could indicate that Slot sees Trent Alexander-Arnold as primarily a midfielder rather than a right-back, though it also raises questions about Conor Bradley’s prospects of first-team minutes next season.
The 20-year-old hardly put a foot wrong when stepping up in the vice-captain’s absence through injury during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, and it’d be a slap in the face to him if an expensive new recruit were signed in his position.
The Netherlands international seems likely to be on the move, but will it be the Reds who win the race for his signature? It could be a few more weeks until we discover the answer.
