Rumour Mongering: Liverpool Keeping Tabs on Schalke 04 Centre-Back Malick Thiaw

A sudden injury crisis at the centre of our defence has meant that Liverpool FC are constantly playing musical chairs with the 2nd centre-back position beside Joe Gomez. One day it’s Joel Matip, next it’s Fabinho, then it’s Rhys Williams or Nat Phillips. That also makes Liverpool FC an easy club to make up transfer rumours for.

This time, we’re again being linked with a Schalke 04 centre-back. Having already been linked with Turkish defender Ozan Kabak during the summer transfer window, German tabloid SportBild is now claiming that Liverpool has been maintaining regular contact with Schalke over his teammate, 19-year old Finnish centre-back Malick Thiaw instead. It is noted that The Mirror had previously linked Thiaw with us all the way back in March as well.

The youngster plays somewhat sporadically for the Bundesliga side, he’s played twice this season and scored once. It is believed he would cost about £7m, a much cheaper fee than what Schalke were reportedly wanting for his Turkish squadmate.

It’s a rumour from BILD so it’s probably not true. I also find it hard to believe if Michael Edwards and Jürgen Klopp were to sign a new centre-back in the January transfer window that they would turn to another youngster instead of a veteran, especially with the emergence of Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips. It just doesn’t really add up, unless Liverpool is dead set on a Schalke centre-back of the non-spitting incident variety.