Matip, on the other hand, may leave Anfield this summer. Goal’s Neil Jones recently relayed ‘growing whispers’ from within the club that the 31-year-old may leave as his contract expires in 2024.
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, one of the players Liverpool has reportedly looked at as a potential replacement is Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni, who is said to be worth $63 million (£53 million/€60 million).
A left-footed defender, Bastoni came through the youth ranks at Atalanta before joining Inter for $33m (£27m/€31m) in 2017.
He returned to Bergamo on loan and also spent time at Parma before settling with the Nerazzurri, where he’s made 144 appearances, 26 of which have come this season.
Bastoni, who is 23 years old, has one Serie A title (20/21), one Coppa Italia (21/22), one team of the year appearance (20/21) and 17 Italy caps.
His contract, like Matip’s, is set to expire in 2024, and while negotiations for a new contract are ongoing, no agreement has been reached (via Fabrizio Romano). Liverpool may see this as an opportunity.
Bastoni, an elite young defender with playmaking abilities, checks all of the boxes as a potential Matip replacement.
He ranks 95th in progressive carries, 96th in carries into the final third, and 81st in progressive carrying distance. He can’t quite compete with Matip in that department, but he’s still in the top ten in Serie A this season.
Furthermore, when it comes to advanced areas, Bastoni is even more effective. It’s worth noting that he starts in a back three for Inter, which gives him more freedom to push forward with additional cover behind him, but Jürgen Klopp would undoubtedly give him similar freedom given his contributions at Inter.
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