Liverpool transfer news: Arne Slot January window 'blow' as club face 'tough fight' for Marc Guehi alternative

Liverpool have suffered a blow in pursuit of Borussia Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck, as fellow central defender Niklas Sule is set to leave the for free in the summer, the latest report has claimed.

The Reds will hope to avoid a seventh loss in eight games when they play Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday, though their chances of victory are slim if they continue to defend as poorly as they have in recent weeks.

Arne Slot named a makeshift back three in his side's 3-0 defeat against Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, but regulars like Ibrahima Konate have also struggled in 2025-26.

The Merseysiders are reportedly in the market for defensive reinforcements, though their failure to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace in the summer has opened up the possibility that other teams could leap ahead in the race to sign the Englishman.

Though BVB centre-back Schlotterbeck has been linked to Anfield as an alternative, Ruhr Nachrichten claim that the likely exit of Sule in the summer would make the club reluctant to sanction the sale of the former in January.

Nico Schlotterbeck: Would Dortmund defender improve Liverpool's defence?

No team in the Premier League has faced more long balls than Liverpool (571) this term, and the club have struggled to deal with opponents' direct approach.

It should be noted that Konate and Virgil van Dijk have been excellent in the air this season, so while Schlotterbeck has won 73% of his aerial duels in the Bundesliga, he would be unlikely to improve the team's ability to deal with second balls in midfield.

The Dortmund centre-back is excellent with possession, and given the Reds have found it difficult to play out from the back, perhaps he would help the team keep the ball and in turn face fewer counter-attacks.

However, the 25-year-old has predominantly played on the left side of defence, and he is unlikely to displace Van Dijk from that side of the pitch.

How can Arne Slot get more from Liverpool?

Despite spending more than £400m in the summer transfer window, Liverpool arguably need significant investment into the team if they are to catch first-placed Arsenal.

Slot must find ways of dealing with his side's defensive issues until January at the earliest, and perhaps one way he could improve his team's performances is by playing a physically robust midfield.

Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones are all over six foot in height, and the trio would almost certainly be better equipped at dealing with second balls than the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz.

Wirtz has operated on the left of attack in the past, so even if Slot moved him away from midfield areas to add extra solidity, there would still be a place in the team for the German playmaker.