Liverpool have taken great steps to ensure continuity at centre-back in the years ahead.
Ibrahima Konate was lost on a free transfer with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez likely to depart in summer 2027. As a result of Konate's move to Real Madrid - and those other impending departures - Reds recruiters have certainly been busy.
Giovanni Leoni was added from Parma in summer 2025 for £26m and Jeremy Jacquet was a £60m signing from Rennes earlier this year. Others - such as Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe - also look like encouraging signings for the future.
But sporting director Julian Ward and head coach Andoni Iraola won't stop there.
Because the 2024/25 Premier League champions have got their eyes on other promising young talents. According to a report in TEAMtalk one such prospect is Hull City's Lucas Herrington.
The 19-year-old Australian FIFA World Cup star joined the Tigers from MLS side Colorado Rapids over the summer in a deal that could reach £17m. Herrington had only just moved to the United States a few months prior from Brisbane Roar in his homeland.
It has taken the elegant defender next to no time to get used to life in the English top flight - now emerging on the radar of Liverpool as well as a host of elite European and Premier League clubs.
Barcelona are thought to be hugely impressed by Herrington's development since moving to Humberside with Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig also thought to be among his admirers.
Liverpool's interest is long-standing - stretching back to his Colorado days - and they will no doubt be in the shakeup for Herrington's signature if Hull decide to cash in.
"His rapid development, combined with his early exposure to senior international football and a promising start in England, has put him firmly on the radar of some of the continent's leading clubs," the report concludes.
Herrington is under contract at the MKM Stadium until 2031 - but expect him to depart before then with a top club his likely destination.
