Sami Hyypia leaving the club plus Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger struggling with pre-season injuries means Liverpool are not only without much in the way of experienced cover but also a centre-back light.
Additional resource in the area will go some way to assisting Liverpool’s aspirations for the season to come.
Rafael Benitez has given the position plenty of thought over the close season and the short-list seems to extend to Michael Turner - subject of a £6 million bid to Hull City - and Portsmouth’s Sylvain Distin who is likely to be a spot cheaper. Though with others expressing an interest and Portsmouth hoping to keep hold he will not come at a cut price.
Age is a factor in any calculations about the latter but so too is the length of the 31 year old’s contract - due to expire in just less than a year‘s time.
Turner almost half a dozen years the Frenchman’s junior on the other hand is tied to the KC Stadium for double that amount of time. He has potential excelling during Hull’s early season run last term but under pressure as the Tigers struggled to clear the danger zone he sometimes looked laboured - though an unconfident and less well equipped side will probably have done the Londoner few favours in that regard.
Some compromise between the rumoured £6 million offer and Hull’s valuation which is thought to be double that proposed will have to be found before a deal can be arranged. £12 million would certainly seem the ridiculous price Phil Brown says will tempt him to sanction a deal.
In both cases only getting the right agreement will put the wheels in motion.
Peaking interest from Anfield aside the pair are the only outfield players throughout the Premier League to play every minute of each league game during the 2008-09 season.
Turner would clearly seem the first choice but for all the promise he can offer over a longer term than Distin the Pompey man who can, as he so often did for Newcastle, turn out at left-back will remain a serious consideration.
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