It's not often you see Liverpool in a spot of bother but that's the reality of the current situation facing Jurgen Klopp and his side.
Last season, they had few obstacles to overcome on their way to winning a first Premier League title.
However, if they are to achieve another top-flight trophy this season, they will have to defy the odds.
That's because, at the moment, they have just one senior central defender fit in Joel Matip.
Virgil van Dijk was ruled out with an ACL injury for the rest of the season last month and now Joe Gomez is facing a race to be fit in time for Euro 2021.
The young defender picked up a problem while training with England this week and having undergone successful surgery to replace a tendon, has an unknown return date.
Fortunately, he hasn't suffered any ACL damage but it looks as though the versatile defender will be out for quite a while.
So what will Liverpool do? Well, they'll have to wait around six weeks before the transfer window opens again for alternatives there.
Daryl Janmaat has been touted as a possible solution on a free transfer, but if the Reds want to splash some cash, they apparently have three defenders on their shortlist.
According to The Athletic, those players are Brighton's Ben White, Schalke's Ozan Kabak and most eye-catching of all, Dayot Upamecano.
The RB Leipzig centre-back is currently rated at £54m and has been sought-after by Liverpool's rivals, Manchester United.
A deal won't come cheap but if Liverpool are after an elite centre-back, he is a fabulous option.
GIVEMESPORT'S Matt Dawson says...
Moving for Upamecano would tick plenty of boxes at Anfield. The centre-back is robust, quick, powerful and he is also intelligent. Furthermore, he can also play the ball out of defence - just like Virgil van Dijk.
Chelsea striker Timo Werner spent the last few years playing with the Frenchman and could only wax lyrical about his abilities.
"I've not seen a faster centre-back, and Dayot has an unbelievable physique. He can become as good as Jerome Boateng if he can keep improving," he explained.
However, what's most impressive is the Marcel Desailly comparisons.
As quoted on the Bundesliga website, they revealed that the duo have very similar traits: "Desailly's game was based on strength, speed and anticipation, all qualities that came naturally to Leipzig's imposing young Frenchman."
Based on that, Liverpool would bite Leipzig's hands off to sign the 22-year-old.
He has enormous potential and would solve plenty of issues. This season, he has won a colossal 2.3 aerial duels per game while displaying elegance with the ball at his feet, completing 87.3% of his passes.
This would be a stellar addition.