“He’s somebody who’s on the radar; whether they make a move or not, that remains to be seen. He’s a versatile player, can play centre-back, right-back and also right wing back, and he’s been a consistent performer for Juventus.”

Pierre Kalulu ticks lots of boxes for Liverpool

Signing Kalulu could be a shrewd piece of business by Liverpool, with the £42.1m-rated Frenchman a versatile defender who can shine at both right-back and centre-back, making 100 appearances for Juve and winning five caps for France.

The 26-year-old is at a good point in his career to hit the ground running for the Reds, and journalist Paolo Aghemo heaped praise on one performance against RB Leipzig in the past:

“Thiago Motta will have to manage the space for alternatives and in particular, there in the middle of the defence Pierre Kalulu is emerging as a true leader, who is a player that Cristiano Giuntoli has focused on , together with the coach in the summer market. So Kalulu is increasingly a fixed point for this Juventus. He was stratospheric in some recoveries right in Leipzig to maintain the advantage gained by Juventus.”

Kalulu would add the depth and solidity that Liverpool crave, and with Van Dijk ageing, Joe Gomez likely to leave next summer, and Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni still so young, bringing in a player at his peak makes total sense.

Signing someone who can play at right-back feels particularly important, with former scout Mick Brown recently all but writing off Jeremie Frimpong’s hopes of being a success at Anfield, despite a goalscoring showing against LASK in midweek.

“He’s okay going forward, but his defensive work leaves a lot to be desired, and when you’re playing in games like the one against Man City that is going to get exposed. They brought on Jeremy Doku, and Frimpong couldn’t handle him, he caused him huge problems and then Cherki sent him flying for his goal as well.

“You could hear on commentary, Jamie Carragher wasn’t happy with him, and that will come from watching him every week, they’re starting to realise he is not Liverpool standard.”

By modern standards, spending around £40m for such a proven player at the top level feels relatively cheap, and if the chance arises for Liverpool to snap up Kalulu, they should pounce.