Fulham are reportedly considering a move for Joel Matip as the Liverpool ace continues to struggle for playing time so far this season at Anfield.
The 27-year-old has made just seven appearances to this point, totalling 272 minutes of football across all competitions.
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With the addition of Virgil van Dijk in January and the emergence of Joe Gomez along with competition from Dejan Lovren, Matip has seemingly fallen down the pecking order.
On one hand, that could be enough for the club to allow him to move on if he wishes to, with talkSPORT noting that new Fulham boss Claudio Ranieri wants to make him his first signing at Craven Cottage in January to solidify his own backline.
In contrast though, with the Reds going for glory on multiple fronts this season and with the threat of injuries and loss of form, keeping Matip this season could be a sensible move to ensure that they are well covered in that department.
Liverpool have conceded just five goals in 12 Premier League games thus far, giving them the joint-best defensive record alongside leaders and reigning champions Manchester City.
With that in mind, Klopp has seemingly solved their issues at the back and has found the right balance. That would suggest that Matip could continue to struggle to force his way into his plans, and may well have to rely on an injury to get the playing time that he’ll be desperate for.
As a result, that could be enough to convince him a move elsewhere is the best option for his own career, forcing Liverpool into potentially making a difficult transfer decision in terms of whether or not to reject the idea and prioritise their own needs over those of Matip to avoid being left light in the coming months.
