Liverpool ready to make move for 23-year-old Premier League star

Liverpool ready to make move for 23-year-old Premier League star Liverpool's first-team squad has changed a lot over the last few years. The Anfield outfit have had to try and rebuild themselves after the Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane era ended. And, while they have managed to win a Premier League title in the last couple of years, their team still doesn't feel ready enough to compete for titles again. That is, despite well over £600 million being spent on players across the last two seasons. With this in mind, the transfer rumour mill has been going into overdrive and now, Julian Ward seems to be ready to make his move for one Premier League star in January. Liverpool still want to make a move for Malo Gusto in January Last season, right-back was easily Liverpool's worst problem position. Most of the campaign consisted of Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones filling in at right-back thanks to the sheer number of injuries that Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley faced. Joe Gomez is another right-back option that the Reds have among their ranks but, since he's also rather injury prone, he barely featured. Admittedly, the two midfielders did an awful lot better than most people expected them to but, it was clear that a right-back needed to be brought in, which is why Ronald Araujo was signed. At the moment, he's probably one of Liverpool's most consistent performers but, as per a fresh update from Flashscore, his chances of a permanent deal may be about to dwindle. "Chelsea have begun exploring the right-back market as they assess their long-term options," they wrote . "Sources indicate that scouts are being deployed across Europe with the task of uncovering elite-level prospects that can become a significant part of their future. "The planning goes hand-in-hand with considerations around Malo Gusto's future at the club. "Manchester City were interested in Gusto during the summer, although that possibility is currently on ice as they await further developments surrounding the Premier League charges against the club. "Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Tottenham are among the other clubs keeping an eye on his situation, with interest likely to depend heavily on the conditions Chelsea would accept for a transfer. "The defender's valuation will be central to determining whether a January move becomes viable. Chelsea's previous €80 million figure represented a significant obstacle, and any reassessment could change the picture for clubs considering an approach." Malo Gusto would be an interesting signing for Liverpool Most Liverpool fans will know that, in their search for a new right-back over the summer, Liverpool made a deadline day bid for Gusto . It was clear from the start of the campaign that the Frenchman was going to be the back-up to Reece James and Marco Palestra, especially since the latter of the two was brought in during the summer window for over £40 million. Since the start of the 2026-27 season, Gusto has played 388 minutes of football with one of his appearances even coming as a number six. Right-back and defensive-midfielder are the two key areas that Liverpool could do with upgrading in January and, the fact that the 23-year-old could cover both would be massive. Obviously, the £75 million that Chelsea wanted for him in the summer is way too much so, as long as the Reds can negotiate the price down a bit, there's no reason why they shouldn't go for him.