Liverpool Eye Former Arsenal Defender, Per Report

It's no secret that Liverpool are in need of defensive help over the summer and that both quality and quantity will be addressed in the coming months.

But some of the defensive names that Liverpool have been linked with as possible transfer targets have been a bit creative and at times unlikely. The latest interesting rumour is that Jürgen Klopp will look to add forgotten former Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen from Barcelona in the summer.

The report, which comes from the Daily Express, claims that Liverpool will be joined in the fight for the 30-year-old Vermaelen by Chelsea.

Barcelona bought Vermaelen from Arsenal in 2014 for £15 million, but the move failed to pan out due to persistent injury problems for the defender. He's only made seven league appearances for the team since arriving in Spain, and will likely be looking for a new team this summer.

While Liverpool must address the defense, Vermaelen does not look to be the short or long term answer to the club's problems. He's past his prime and injury prone, so any transfer fee of significance would be too much for him. There might be a world where he comes back to full fitness and gives a team a couple of solid seasons before calling it quits, but its unlikely that it would be Liverpool taking the flyer on him.