Real Madrid are reportedly set to compete with Liverpool over the signing of Sevilla defender Diego Carlos, who is said to have a whopping €75m price-tag.
It was noted by the Daily Mail via reports in Spain ahead of the January transfer window that the Merseyside giants were in talks over a possible deal for the 26-year-old.
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As a potential long-term defensive partner for Virgil van Dijk to shore up an already top-class backline, Carlos has been heavily linked with Liverpool over the past few weeks as he continues to impress for Sevilla this season.
The Brazilian has now made 22 appearances so far this year, also chipping in with two goals, and so he looks a decent bet to improve the Liverpool defence should they decide to launch an official bid for him either this month or in the summer.
The Reds have conceded just 14 goals in 22 Premier League games this season, which is unsurprisingly good enough to give them the best defensive record in the top flight.
With that in mind, it’s perhaps questionable as to why they would splash out on another defender, especially with the likes of Joe Gomez and Joel Matip performing well alongside Van Dijk.
However, the rumours regarding Carlos have continued, and now Calciomercato report, via Ok Diario, that the Sevilla defender is now on Real Madrid’s transfer radar too as club president Florentino Perez wants to take him to the Bernabeu.
Liverpool are specifically mentioned in that report too as being an interested party, but if either of the European giants are going to prise him away from his current club, it’s suggested that they’ll need to make an offer of at least €75m to convince Sevilla to sell.
In turn, it remains to be seen if that’s enough to put either of them off, but Carlos is clearly highly rated and could be at the centre of a big transfer tussle this year.