Liverpool Edge Closer to Geertruida Deal as Defensive Crisis Deepens

Fabrizio Romano has dropped fresh intel on Liverpool's push to land Lutsharel Geertruida, revealing that the personal agreement with the Netherlands international was wrapped up well before the transfer deadline looms into view.

The Reds find themselves in something of a defensive bind heading into the final 48 hours of the window. Giovanni Leoni's season-ending injury came early in the campaign, leaving Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as the only established centre-back options, with Joe Gomez filling the backup role. The situation worsened when Conor Bradley picked up a serious injury earlier this month, forcing Liverpool to get creative at right-back with Denzel Frimpong stepping in – though he carries a more attacking bent.

The injury crisis came to a head during Wednesday's Champions League thumping of Qarabag, when Liverpool deployed midfielder Ryan Gravenberch as an emergency centre-back. Matters weren't helped when Frimpong was forced off just four minutes in with his own injury. Come Saturday's 4-1 demolition of Newcastle, Dominik Szoboszlai again shifted to right-back, a move that compromises the Hungarian's natural role further up the pitch.

Enter Geertruida. The 25-year-old, currently on loan at Sunderland from RB Leipzig, offers the flexibility Liverpool desperately need – capable of operating anywhere along the backline. His familiarity with Arne Slot from their time together at Feyenoord has clearly helped accelerate matters.

Romano initially broke the story on Sunday, confirming Liverpool were in talks to bring in the defender, with initial contacts channelled through Sunderland. Now he's revealed the real progress: "The agreement between Liverpool and Lutsharel Geertruida was done days ago, never an issue on personal terms. Geertruida wants the move, he knows Arne Slot very well. It's on Liverpool, Sunderland and RB Leipzig to understand how to find a solution in next hours."

The stumbling block, then, isn't the player – it's getting the three clubs to hammer out the mechanics of a deal. Slot has already signalled Liverpool's intent to strengthen, telling reporters: "I think we are trying to strengthen the squad and not trying to weaken it. But yeah, 48 hours to go. Let's see where the window ends up."

Worth noting: Liverpool missed out on Marc Guehi in the summer after Crystal Palace pulled the plug at the eleventh hour, only to watch Manchester City snap him up in January. They'll be keen to avoid a repeat performance here.