OPINION
One of Jurgen Klopp’s priorities this summer will be to find a long-term partner for Virgil van Dijk at the centre of Liverpool’s defence.
The Reds have shown vast improvement at the back since van Dijk arrive on Merseyside, but there remain too many questions about the long-term viability of Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip at the club.
Lovren is far too inconsistent, having brilliant games interspersed with those where he looks like a League One footballer, and that is just not good enough for Liverpool.
Matip is more consistent than Lovren, but the Cameroon international has obvious deficiencies on the ball, with his passing in particular an issue, and Liverpool need something better in the long-run.
As reported by The Sun, Manchester City star John Stones could be on his way out of the club this summer after falling down the pecking order to become their fourth-choice centre-back, and Liverpool may be interested in a swoop for the 23-year-old.
Stones has proven himself to be one of the country’s top defensive talents of the last decade, and still has years of development left in him.
His ball-playing ability is similar to that of van Dijk, and Liverpool would possess a centre-back partnership capable of playing any attack off the park.
Aside from that, Stones has shown that he can do his primary job, defending, up to standard for a top Premier League side, and that side of his game will only improve as he gets older.
The partnership between Stones and van Dijk would be a daunting one for opponents, and it is one that would only get better with both still yet to enter their peak.
It is said that City would want to recuperate most of the £47.5million they paid for Stones in 2016, and with his £100,000-a-week wages, Liverpool are one of the few teams who could afford a deal for the 23-year-old.
They would do well to move for Stone this summer, as the England international may be the missing piece of the puzzle in their quest for their first Premier League title.