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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in taking Liverpool defender Joe Gomez to the north London club.
The 24-year-old has found first-team football a rarity for the Reds this season. Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate have been preferred by boss Jurgen Klopp. Tottenham are ready to pounce, with Antonio Conte keen on making defensive reinforcements.
That is according to 90min (via The Boot Room) who has reported that the England defender is keen to move on from Anfield as he looks to make Gareth Southgate's FIFA World Cup 2022 squad.
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Gomez has just five Premier League appearances to his name this term. He is now on the fringes of the first team following the signing of Konate from RB Leipzig last summer for £36 million. Before Konate's arrival, the Englishman had been Klopp's third-choice centre-back, but injuries hampered his development.
He incurred a patella injury last year that saw him miss out on a place in England's squad for the European Championships last summer. Southgate selected him before the injury occurred, with the former Charlton defender having eleven international caps since making his debut in 2017.
Klopp commented on Gomez's injury issues at Liverpool in December last year. telling reporters via the club's official website:
“So, it was obviously not the best year for Joe with the injury and then coming back and having another injury because that’s how it can go."
He then talked about whether Gomez had asked to leave Liverpool for want of more first-team football:
“We are patient, and I think Joe is patient now as well; that’s the situation. I don’t have any plans to give anybody on loan in the winter, so I will not be the driving force, let me say it like this. Nobody came to me and asked if they could go somewhere."
Tottenham looking for Liverpool's Gomez to revitalise their stagnant defence
Reports linking Gomez with a move to Tottenham come with the team having encountered a troubling period at the back.
Antonio Conte's adoption of a back-three system has worked, but Spurs defenders have, at times, lacked the talent to fulfil the roles in the defensive line. We have seen the likes of Ben Davies and Japhet Tanganga, who are predominantly full-backs having to fill in.
Gomez could prove to be a shrewd piece of business for Tottenham, as he has vast experience despite only being 24. Moreover, the defender has been part of Klopp's impressive defensive work at Liverpool. That has seen them win the UEFA Champions League and Premier League title in successive years.
Transfermarkt has priced Gomez at the £22 million mark, with the defender having two years left on his current deal.
