Liverpool are likely to be without Virgil van Dijk for the rest of the 2020/21 season.

The Dutch centre-back picked up a serious knee injury in last Saturday's Merseyside derby versus Everton and he's set to to undergo surgery in the next few days.

Losing Van Dijk is a huge blow to Liverpool's aspirations this season, as it leaves the Reds with just two senior centre-backs in Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

Fabinho will fill in at the back when required to do so, but losing the Brazilian from the base of midfield is not exactly ideal for Jurgen Klopp.

Van Dijk's absence a bit of a problem for the Premier League champions, one which could lead to them dipping into the January transfer market to sign some cover for the Dutch colossus.

Van Dijk & Klopp

Now, the January window is usually best avoided if possible, as prices for players are seriously inflated.

But Sport Media Set are reporting that Liverpool are lining up a £27.1m deal for one of the world's most exciting young defenders, Ozan Kabak.

That's a deal that represents excellent value for money - on paper at least - and it's no wonder Klopp himself is 'aiming for the signing' of the 20-year-old Schalke defender.

Kabak has played four times for Turkey's senior team and already has 43 Bundesliga games under his belt, scoring six goals along the way.

Kabak in action

Kabak's ceiling is incredibly high. However, given Schalke's recent struggles, the Liverpool coaching staff would have a lot of work on their hands to mould him into a player good enough to fill Van Dijk's boots.

As such, the Reds may look at spending the bigger bucks to sign either Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly or RB Leipzig star Dayot Upamecano in January, two players already among the world's very best.

Although both would command significantly larger fees than the one being quoted for Kabak, especially Upamecano, who is still only 21...