Updated

Updated · Liverpool.com · Jul 26

Liverpool Beats Sunderland 4-2 in Iraola Debut as Gomez Suffers Early Injury Scare

Updated

Updated · Liverpool.com · Jul 26

Liverpool Beats Sunderland 4-2 in Iraola Debut as Gomez Suffers Early Injury Scare

Q: With a major injury exposing Liverpool's defense, which rumored star centre-back will Iraola urgently sign before the season begins?

There is no confirmed urgent signing yet, but the strongest current rumor points to **Ilya Zabarnyi** as the most believable immediate target. The injury to Joe Gomez has intensified Liverpool’s need for a senior centre-back, and the additional reporting says the club has held talks over Zabarnyi, with Paris Saint-Germain valuing the Ukraine international at around **€60 million**. Liverpool are said to prefer a loan with an option to buy, while PSG want either a permanent sale or a loan that becomes an obligation. Other names remain in the frame, including **Nico Schlotterbeck, Joel Ordóñez, Micky van de Ven** and **Maxence Lacroix**, but none appears closer than Zabarnyi based on the material provided. Schlotterbeck has also been complicated by injury concerns, while Ordóñez is more often described as a serious option rather than an advanced deal. So the answer is that **Zabarnyi is the rumored star centre-back most urgently linked with Liverpool right now**. That said, it is still a rumor rather than a done transfer, and the club’s final move could yet depend on Gomez’s diagnosis and the availability of other targets before the season starts.

3 articles · Updated · Liverpool.com · Jul 26

A 4-2 win in Nashville gave Liverpool a winning start under Andoni Iraola, with Kieran Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas scoring against Sunderland.
Nineteen-year-old Morrison struck early before Enzo Le Fee equalized, and Szoboszlai's second-half goal helped swing an open game that also featured a Sunderland finish from Timur Tuterov.
Joe Gomez went off after 7 minutes with an apparent muscle issue, deepening concern in a thin back line already missing several defenders.
Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe stood out at center-back, while other youngsters including Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha also impressed in a squad that underlined Liverpool's depth and transfer needs.