Liverpool look set to win transfer race to sign Celtic rising star, deals heads in right direction
Liverpool are set to fend off strong competition from Nottingham Forest to sign Celtic academy centre-back Dara Jikiemi soon.
Liverpool‘s issues with centre-backs have been clear this season as they continue to struggle at the back amid a lack of depth.
Giovanni Leoni suffered a season-ending injury not long after joining in the summer, leaving Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez as their only senior recognised options in the position as it stands.
Konate has been slammed by Liverpool fans for his poor performances, with Arne Slot having to call upon the likes of Andy Robertson and Amara Nallo to play in the centre of defence for cup games.
It is an area that needs immediately addressing in January, but the club are also looking to shore up their long-term options at centre-back with Jikiemi soon to join their academy set-up.
Liverpool closing in on Jikiemi ahead of Nottingham Forest
Football Insider revealed in April that Forest were interested in signing Jikiemi from Celtic after his impressive progress in their academy ranks and at international level with Scotland.
Forest entered talks to sign Jikiemi in August, as also revealed by Football Insider, but a move did not materialise at the time as he remained in Glasgow.
According to a new report from the Daily Mail, Liverpool are “closing in” on the signing of 15-year-old Celtic wonderkid Jikiemi, thus beating off strong competition for his services from the East Midlands outfit.
Everything regarding the deal is believed to be “heading in the right direction”, with the teenager set to follow in the footsteps of Ben Gannon-Doak, who joined the Reds from Celtic as a 16-year-old in 2022.
Jikiemi has captained Scotland at youth level and is a centre-back by trade but can also feature in holding midfield.
Liverpool must focus on short-term centre-back cover in January
With Jikiemi in place for the future, Liverpool must prioritise signing a senior centre-back next month to solve their current defensive woes.
Their defensive record has improved slightly in recent weeks, but they still let in three against relegation-threatened Leeds last week and conceded 10 in three games against Man City, Forest and PSV in November.
Marc Guehi came close to a move to Anfield in January, and Liverpool remain interested in his services ahead of the midway point of the campaign.
Football Insider have revealed that Guehi has no intention of forcing a move away from Crystal Palace in the new year though, so they may be forced to look at other targets such as Nico Schlotterbeck or Jeremy Jacquet.