Liverpool join Tottenham in race for surprise Premier League target

James Shearman

• Updated: 10 Feb 2024 22:36 GMT
• 3 min read

Liverpool have reportedly joined Tottenham in the race to sign Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly.

According to journalist Ekrem Konur, the two Premier League clubs are also joined by AC Milan, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund.

Liverpool have been targeting a left-sided centre-back for a while now, despite Virgil van Dijk returning to his best this season.

The reason being is that the Dutchman is now 32 years of age, and has suffered a few injuries in recent years, so The Reds cannot be sure of how long he will maintain this level.

Plus, his eventual replacement would benefit from having a year or two to understudy the club legend.

Kelly is a surprise target, having never played in European competition, but he has been a solid Premier League performer for The Cherries.

Able to play at left-back as well, Kelly possesses the ball-playing ability to suit a side that dominates possession.

He is only valued at €5.2 million by FootballTransfers' algorithm, though that has a lot to do with his contract being up in the summer.

On a free transfer, Liverpool and the many other interested clubs could do a lot worse than the 25-year-old.

Liverpool to miss out on top target?

Liverpool could have turned their attention to Kelly as a result of seemingly missing out on David Hancko.

The Feyenoord centre-back has penned a new long-term deal until 2028 with last season's Eredivisie champions.

The Slovakia international has impressed in the Netherlands and attracted interest from a number of top clubs in recent months.

In fact, Hancko's agent, Branislav Jasurek, confirmed in January that talks were held with the Anfield club, PSG and many more.

"As an agency, we are in contact not only with these two clubs but also with others who are looking into David’s situation," he said.