Liverpool have been active in the summer transfer window following a disappointing campaign last season and a midfield rebuild has been the top priority for Jurgen Klopp and new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke.
The Reds have returned to pre-season training with two new additions in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai joining the Merseyside outfit and there is no doubt that Klopp will be looking forward to working the pair into his tactical philosophy to improve the quality in the centre of the pitch next season.
Despite the squad getting back to work ahead of next season, the club remain active in the market with Romeo Lavia the latest midfielder to be linked with a move to Anfield this summer, however, they could also be in the market to snap up the services of a quality centre-back too.
Liverpool have been linked with numerous names in that role over the last few weeks and months with Joska Gvardiol, Micky van de Ven and Levi Colwill all mooted as potential prospects for the club.
The latest defender to be touted for a move to Anfield is Torino titan Perr Schuurs, a talented centre-back who is not only a fantastic youth prospect but a compatriot and competitor of Virgil van Dijk in the Netherlands national team.
According to Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), Liverpool are expected to make another approach for Schuurs this summer after having an initial €30m (£26m) bid rejected in the past.
Who is Perr Schuurs?
The 23-year-old – hailed "outstanding" by journalist Josh Bunting – made his start in Fortuna Sittard's academy before moving on to Ajax's highly-rated youth set-up back in 2018 and quickly becoming a first-team regular at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Schuurs played his part in winning three Eredivisie titles and two Dutch cups under Erik ten Hag and last summer made a permanent move to the Serie A via Torino, where he has continued to flourish and attract attention which has led to his inclusion in the Netherlands squad – although he is yet to make an appearance for the senior side.
Liverpool have had incredible success when leaning on Dutch talent with Dirk Kuyt, Georginio Wijnaldum and Van Dijk playing huge roles in the club's dominance over the years, whilst Cody Gakpo has been the latest Netherlands native to burst onto the scene at Anfield joining the club back in January this year.
Now Klopp could repeat his Van Dijk masterclass with the signing of Schuurs – who has a reported price tag of €40m (£34.3m) – this summer as the 6 foot 3 Goliath could be the rightful heir to the Liverpool superstar's important role in the team.
When comparing the Serie A star to his Liverpool positional peer over last season, the Dutch duo have come close in a number of key attributes including pass completion rate (88.1% v 90.5%), interceptions (28 v 31), blocks (29 v 24) and ball recoveries (181 v 168) over 32 league appearances, as per FBref.
Whilst Schuurs also outperformed Van Dijk in tackles won per 90 (1.97 v 0.78), interceptions completed per 90 (1.08 v 0.89), successful take-ons per 90 (0.39 v 0.05) and blocks per 90 (1.08 v 0.71) over the last 12 months, proving that he could be not only a valuable asset for the future but also a worthy successor to the Netherlands captain.
With that being said, if Liverpool can secure a deal for Schuurs it would be a great piece of business for the club and could provide Klopp with his next prodigy to develop into a star player.