Liverpool chasing defender

LIVERPOOL face an anxious 36 hours to see if t hey can sign an extra defender before the transfer window shuts.

Jurgen Klopp is keen to land a centre- back with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez out for the season and Joel Matip and Fabinho set to miss today’s trip to West Ham.

However, the champions are frustrated by top targets being unavailable until the summer, leaving them with a limited selection of candidates not guaranteed to be good enough.

A move for Leipzig’ s Dayot Upacemano is complicated by the Germans facing Liverpool in t he Champions League while Bayern Munich’s David Alaba has his heart set on a move to La Liga.

More realistic options include Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi and Issa Diop of West Ham who are both out of favour at their current sides. Mustafi, a former German international, has only six months left on his contract at The Emirates.

Marseille’s Duje Caleta Car has been linked on the day his current club had their training ground stormed while Torino’s Brazilian stop per G lei son Bremer is also being monitored. Any deal for the 23-year-old Bremer is more likely in the summer unless Liverpool pay a hefty premium.

It leaves them accepting their search may go on right up until tomorrow’s 11pm deadline.

Skipper Jordan Henderson is set to partner Nathaniel Phillips or Rhys Williams against West Ham. The Liverpool youngsters have previously made just six Premier League appearances between them.

CASE FOR DEFENCE...

Liverpool targets: MARSEILLE’S Duje Caleta Car has been studied closely. He rejected West Ham in the summer but Marseille may cash in now. ARSENAL’S Shkodran Mustafi is available with his contract running down but fragile confidence means Liverpool have yet to act. WEST HAM’S Issa Diop is eager to play and has been considered but David Moyes wants him to stay.