Liverpool star has 'one foot out' as he's 'not part of Slot's plans' with 'surprise replacement' revealed

According to reports, a Liverpool star has ‘one foot out’ of the Premier League giants, while they have a ‘surprise replacement’ for Giovanni Leoni.

Liverpool have issues at centre-back as they are short on options without summer signing Leoni, who has suffered an ACL injury and will miss the rest of this season.

Leoni’s injury leaves head coach Arne Slot with Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez as his only fit and natural centre-backs after Liverpool failed to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi on deadline day.

Konate and Gomez have also had their injury issues, so Liverpool would be left searching for a left-field solution if they break down in the coming weeks/months.

Despite this, Gomez, who is only under contract until 2027, has been heavily linked with an exit in recent months, with reports indicating that he would have left in the summer had Liverpool signed Guehi.

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28-year-old Gomez has been an important utility player for Liverpool in recent years, though he has fallen in the pecking order under Slot and the potential arrival of Guehi on a free transfer in 2026 could further limit his opportunities.

In the summer, Gomez attracted interest from AC Milan and Spanish outlet Fichajes claims he remains a ‘priority’ for the Serie A giants, while he has ‘one foot out’ of the door and is ‘not part of Slot’s plans.

The report adds:

‘Joe Gomez’s name is once again being talked about strongly in Italy. The Liverpool defender , relegated to a supporting role at Anfield, has become a priority target for AC Milan in the upcoming transfer window.

‘Liverpool retained him in the summer, frustrating negotiations with Milan, which were well underway. The lack of a reliable replacement forced the Reds to pull the plug at the last minute. However, the situation hasn’t changed, and the player’s patience is beginning to wear thin.’

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Journalist Pete O’Rourke has explained to Football Insider why midfielder Wataru Endo is being ‘explored’ as a ‘surprise replacement’ for Leoni.

He said: “It was a huge blow to lose Leoni, it looks like it could sideline him for the rest of the season.

“It does leave Liverpool short of centre-back options, there’s no getting away from that.

“So, now they’re down to Van Dijk, Konate, Gomez and probably Endo as a sort of cover centre-back, which is a surprise given he has played his whole career in midfield.

“Especially if they plan to be competing for honours on all fronts this year, they probably do need more cover than that at centre-back.

“If there are any more injuries there, they could find themselves in a real difficult position.”

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