Zenit renew interest in Skrtel, but can Liverpool let him leave?

Martin Skrtel in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Swansea City and Liverpool at Liberty Stadium on September 16, 2013 in Swansea, Wales. (Getty Images)

According to The Mirror, Zenit St. Petersburg are looking to secure the signature of Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel for the third transfer window running.

The Slovakian, who captains his national side and has made more than 150 appearances for the Anfield club, originally arrived from the Russian giants but has seen his playing time reduced over the past 12 months.

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The report claims Zenit are willing to part with up to £16 million to land their former star, and Brendan Rodgers will be faced with a difficult decision to make in the face of an attractive sum of cash.

In making the decision, the Ulsterman will need to give his current central defensive options a full and frank assessment in order to determine whether they’d be able to survive without the Slovakian.

Rodgers has recently switched to a 3-4-1-2 formation, and whether or not that three-man defensive feature will be a long-term presence could make or break the deal.

Skrtel, currently playing a first-team role in the centre of that three-man line, is performing his job as a sweeper superbly; averaging 10.6 clearances per game and having blocked eight shots so far, he’s earned the mantle of Squawka’s second-highest rated Liverpool central defender so far.

His finest performance of the season came in the home victory over Manchester United. After shaking off some early rust in the fixture, he improved his performance and almost single-handedly kept out the Red Devils out at one stage.

The Slovakian’s Performance Score of 128 is just one lower than Man of the Match Kolo Toure‘s 129, but you get the impression he’s headed for the bench soon regardless of how well he does.

New-boy Mamadou Sakho has been slow to get going, but he did turn in a masterful performance against Crystal Palace in Liverpool’s last outing and will be expected to replicate that level on a consistent basis.

Daniel Agger, leader of the defensive line, is currently struggling with injury, but when he returns he should take Skrtel’s spot in the centre.

That leaves Rodgers with the question: ‘can my back-ups do the job if one of my starters goes down?’

If Skrtel departs, all that’s left is the inexperienced duo of Tiago Ilori and Andre Wisdom.

They’re both good footballers—rife with potential—but can they command a place in the XI for three months should a colleague go down with a serious injury?

This is where the formation discussion presides over everything else, and Rodgers’ planned system going forward holds the key to Skrtel’s future.

Proceed with the 3-4-1-2 (or 3-5-2) and you cannot sell him, revert back to the 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 and he becomes quite expendable.

If the Reds are serious about challenging for the top four depth is a requirement, and a three-man defensive line demands a minimum of four experienced players to be available.

Above sentimental value, financial concerns and anything else, Rodgers’ vision of how his future Liverpool side line up will decide this one.