Liverpool line up £115m defensive duo and Trent Alexander-Arnold successor under Iraola

Liverpool have already secured one defensive signing and are targeting further reinforcements this summer as new head coach Andoni Iraola prepares to reshape the squad at Anfield.

French centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, 20, has joined from Rennes in a £60 million deal — confirmed as Arne Slot’s final signing before his sacking — and will fill the void left by Ibrahima Konate, who departed as a free agent when his contract expired. Jacquet had agreed the move at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.

Iraola, who built his reputation on high-energy, front-foot football at Bournemouth, is expected to move Liverpool away from the more conservative style Slot employed. That shift in approach is shaping the club’s recruitment priorities across the pitch.

At centre-back, Liverpool’s longer-term picture remains uncertain. Captain Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are both out of contract next year, while young Italian Giovanni Leoni — still developing and yet to feature in the Premier League after spending the entire campaign recovering from an ACL injury — is not yet ready to shoulder a regular burden.

Sporting CP’s Gonçalo Inacio has emerged as a priority target to bridge that gap. The 24-year-old Portuguese defender has been linked with Anfield for several years and remains firmly on Liverpool’s radar. Left-footed, assured in possession and capable of breaking lines with his passing range, Inacio is considered a strong fit for Iraola’s system. He carries a £55 million release clause, though Sporting may be open to negotiating below that figure amid competition from other top clubs.

The right-back position also demands attention following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure. The source article was truncated before a successor was named in full, but Liverpool are understood to be actively addressing the vacancy as part of a broader defensive rebuild that could total around £115 million in outlay by the end of the window.