Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has already signed two midfielders during the transfer market, luring Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai to the Reds, could the German now begin to look at strengthening his defensive options ahead of the 2023/24 season?
Dutch defender Perr Schuurs is currently on the list of targets for Klopp and now the fee that Liverpool will be required to pay Serie A side Torino to secure his services has now been revealed.
How much will Perr Schuurs cost Liverpool?
As reported by La Stampa (via TuttoMercatoWeb), the Anfield side will need to fork out €40m (£34m) in order for any potential move to be sealed and this could represent a wonderful bargain for the club.
Klopp appears to be a massive admirer of the player as according to Tuttosport, they had an offer of £25m rejected by Torino and the Italian outlet claims that the German has wanted the defender for over two years and is keen to get a deal done for the 23-year-old as soon as possible.
Napoli also remain interested in Schuurs as they look to sign a replacement for Bayern-bound, Kim Min-jae and the Reds will need to act swiftly to bring him to Merseyside.
How good is Perr Schurrs?
The former Ajax starlet enjoyed a solid season in Serie A during 2022/23, ranking first in the Torino squad for tackles per game (1.7) and clearances per game (3.2) while also winning 4.1 total duels per game – a success rate of 55% – demonstrating just how effective he can be at the heart of the defence.
Liverpool conceded 47 goals in the Premier League last term, which was 21 more than they conceded the previous season where they came so close to pipping Manchester City to the league crown and this suggests Klopp needs to invest in a few new defenders.
Joe Gomez, in particular, didn’t exactly have the best of seasons, ranking in a lowly seventh for tackles per game (1.3) across the Liverpool squad last term while also ranking 11th for overall rating as per Sofascore, and it’s clear that they need an upgrade on the Englishman.
Schuurs could certainly offer more, as he completed a higher pass completion percentage (88.1% to 85.7) than Gomez while also winning more aerial duels (62 to 46), making more tackles (26 to 21) and making more blocks (29 to 17), clearly showing he is an improvement on the Liverpool defender across a wide range of metrics.
He was even lauded by journalist Josh Bunting, who dubbed him a “mountain” and it’s evident that the Anfield side require a player of his nature that can come in and stake a claim for a first-team spot, giving Klopp something different in the heart of the defence.
With Virgil Van Dijk recently turning 32, he may not have long left at the top of the game and therefore, not only can Schuurs be an instant upgrade on Gomez, but the Torino star would be an excellent heir for the Dutch titan who has been an integral part of their success over the previous five years.
