With Jürgen Klopp leaving behind a generally well-rounded squad for Arne Slot to work with at Anfield, Liverpool will not need wholesale changes in the summer transfer market. While the last few weeks might have changed the perception somewhat, the Reds' squad is pretty well set for the future.

Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes will not be making any knee-jerk decisions based on the last few games and there is still a lot more to come from the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo. Other players like Trent Alexander-Arnold, you would like to think at least, will not get injured so much next year.

But there is one obvious position that needs to be looked at in terms of strengthening: center-back. Even with the emergence of Jarell Quansah this season, Liverpool looks to be a little light in that area. That will only become more obvious when Joël Matip departs as a free agent at the end of his contract.

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Replacing Matip with a left-sided option would appear to make sense, with Liverpool lacking a left-footed option in that area of the field. Having someone who could step in from time to time to replace Virgil van Dijk would be handy when it comes to preserving the career span of the Dutch captain too.

According to the Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, the Reds might have the ideal answer in $48m (£38m/€45m)-rated Feyenoord defender Dávid Hancko, who is also drawing interest from Italy. Liverpool will not be buying anyone purely based on the fact that Slot knows them well, but links with him do at least make some sense beyond that too.

It is said that Hancko has been a massive Liverpool fan since childhood, as speculation over a move away from Feyenoord builds. Earlier this year, his agent, Branislav Jašurek, told the Czech outlet TN.cz that he was in talks with Liverpool, so perhaps some exploratory conversations have already taken place.

Hancko is 26 now, so he is perhaps not the obvious age profile for Liverpool to target. But the Slovakian does tick a couple of big boxes: he is excellent in possession, and also wins a healthy 61 per cent of his aerial duels. Having struggled with Fiorentina earlier in his career, it is with time with Slot that he has really excelled, making himself one of the outstanding Eredivisie stars.

"I love Virgil van Dijk," Hancko said last year when speaking to Voetbal International. "I don’t want to compare myself with Virgil, but that invincible feeling he exudes was something I felt last season very strongly. Just like Virgil, I am not afraid of anyone. But that is different from not respecting my opponent."

Liverpool.com says: A center-back should certainly be a priority for Liverpool this summer but someone slightly younger might make more sense. While Hancko would clearly be up for moving to Anfield, that isn't what the summer targets will be based on.