Liverpool have reportedly set their sights on Olympique Marseille starlet Boubacar Kamara as they eye defensive reinforcements in the summer.
According to a report from Italian publication Calciomercato, reigning Premier League champions, Liverpool have identified Olympique Marseille prodigy, Boubacar Kamara, as a transfer target ahead of the summer window.
The 21-year-old has been on Marseille’s books since 2005 and having risen through the youth ranks at the Ligue 1 outfit, Kamara made his senior debut in September 2017. Since then, he has gradually grown into one of the most pivotal members of the team, going on to make 111 appearances, scoring three goals and setting up four more.
A versatile operator, Kamara began his senior career as a centre-back but has largely been used in a defensive midfield role over the past couple of seasons, a position in which he has thrived. The 21-year-old, who has been previously been linked with the likes of Barcelona, has now emerged on the radars of Liverpool.
It has been a difficult season for Liverpool with the defence of their Premier League crown looking set to fail. A major reason behind their struggles to sustain a title challenge is the number of injuries that they have had in the centre-back department.
Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip have all been ruled out for the season, forcing Jurgen Klopp to utilise defensive midfielder Fabinho in the centre-back role, while also forcing Liverpool to dip their toes in the January transfer market to sign Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak.
Davies is unproven at the highest level, having spent the majority of his career in the lower leagues of English football. Kabak, meanwhile, is only on loan at the club and could very well return to parent club FC Schalke at the end of the season even though Liverpool have the option of making his transfer permanent.
With Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams also lacking experience at the first-team level, bringing in another centre-back in the summer makes a lot of sense for Liverpool. While they have recently been linked with a move for Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane, someone like Kamara could be a cheaper, long-term alternative for the Merseysiders.
Kamara’s current contract with Marseille expires in 2022, meaning he could be available on a bargain this summer. Add to it, the fact that he can play at centre-back as well as in midfield could come in very handy for Liverpool given that they might need reinforcements in the middle of the park as well, with Georginio Wijnaldum facing an uncertain future.
It now remains to be seen if Liverpool do act on their interest in Kamara or look elsewhere to bolster their defensive department in the summer.
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