James Pearce: Liverpool Unlikely to Invest Heavily at Centre-Back

Liverpool may have defensive questions to answer, but centre-back is not expected to top the transfer agenda. James Pearce says the club are unlikely to invest heavily in that position in either the January window or next summer.

“Centre-back not a priority for Liverpool so highly unlikely they will invest heavily in that area either in Jan or next summer,” Pearce wrote on X. He added that Liverpool have been impressed by Jacquet and have high hopes for fellow young centre-backs Giovanni Leoni, Ndukwe and Ndiaye.

That outlook puts the focus on the options already at the club rather than another major arrival. Liverpool have Virgil van Dijk, Leoni, Ronald Araújo and Joe Gomez among their defensive choices, while Pearce’s comments point to the potential of the younger players as part of the longer-term picture.

Van Dijk’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season, leaving his future unresolved in the information available. Araújo is on loan, while Gomez’s situation is also raised as a possible factor in whether Liverpool might need to revisit the position.

The source’s assessment is conditional: if Van Dijk receives an extension, Gomez stays and Araújo’s loan becomes permanent, the case for adding another centre-back would be less pressing. But those outcomes are not confirmed, so the club’s eventual needs could depend on how those situations develop.

For now, Pearce’s message is clear: Liverpool are not expected to make centre-back a priority across the next two windows. The club’s faith in Jacquet and its young defenders is central to that view, even as uncertainty remains around Van Dijk’s contract and the loan arrangement involving Araújo.