The heart of defence is still a real problem area for Liverpool, with Dejan Lovren struggling under the weight of his enormous price-tag and Mamadou Sakho by no means the total centre-back package assumed when Liverpool coughed up £18million for him in summer 2013.
Nicolas Nkoulou, meanwhile, has been widely regarded as amongst Ligue 1’s top centre-halves for some time, twice claiming a slot in the division’s Team of the Year.
At 5 foot 11 he’s a little on the short side, which is perhaps why Premier League clubs are yet to make good on their apparent long-term interest in the Cameroon international.
But now 25 years of age and with 63 caps under his belt, NKoulou seems ready for the next level.
Marseille refused to sell the former Monaco man during the summer but now into the final term of his Stade Velodrome contract, they may be faced with no other option in January.