Liverpool have set their sights on improving their defense this summer after admitting defeat on clinching a deal for Jude Bellingham this summer.

According to CaughtOffside journalist Ben Jacobs, Jurgen Klopp has a three-man shortlist that includes highly-rated RB Leipzig center-back Josko Gvardiol, Frenchman Evan Ndicka, whose contract at Eintracht Frankfurt runs out at the end of the season, and one of Serie A’s breakthrough stars Kim Min-Jae, whose arrival at Napoli in the summer has been seen by many as one of the main reasons why the Neapolitans are 14 points clear at the top of Serie A.

It may come as a surprise to many Liverpool fans who have been pleading with Jurgen Klopp to bolster his aging midfield but after the loss of form to Virgil Van Dijk and the injury-prone Joe Gomez proving a constant headache, the Reds are looking to solidify their backline as an immediate priority.

Gvardiol’s consistent performances in Europe over the past two campaigns have put him fully in the spotlight in Leipzig, but it is believed there is a queue of potential suitors lined up for his services. Kim’s arrival this summer in Naples means his contract still runs until 2025 and with coach, Luciano Spaletti recently calling the South Korean “the best center-back in the world at the moment” it is the 23-year-old Ndicka who may prove to be Liverpool’s most realistic target.