Liverpool have reportedly joined the race to sign Croatian World Cup star Domagoj Vida, with the Reds looking to bolster their squad depth in a bid to bring Jurgen Klopp his first piece of silverware with the club.

According to the Express, Liverpool have already made a bid for Vida, who is partnering current Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren for Croatia at this summer’s World Cup.

Vida currently plays his football in Turkey with Besiktas, after making a move from Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kyiv back in January but, at 29, is the Croatian international the man to solve Liverpool’s defensive frailties?

Despite impressing at the World Cup, there is no doubt that Liverpool should be aiming higher in a bid to find their £75million centre-back Virgil van Dijk a worthy partner.

It could even be argued that Van Dijk and Lovren did enough to prove to Klopp at the end of last season that they had a solid enough partnership to carry the club forward next season. Howwever, it seems the Liverpool boss still identifies the centre-back position as an area of improvement for the Reds.

Unfortunately, Vida is not in the top bracket of centre-backs that Liverpool so desperately need to partner Van Dijk at the heart of their defence, and making a move for the Besiktas man would be a disappointment to many.

With Klopp on the verge of potential greatness with the Reds, it would be a silly time to invest in any player who is not quite up to scratch.

This time last year saw Everton busy in the transfer market. Sandro Ramirez arrived from Malaga on the same day the club also procured Michael Keane from Burnley. But it was also the day that reports first started emerging that Everton had targeted the man to replace Romelu Lukaku.

According to The Mirror, the Toffees were lining up a £20 million bid for the Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman was seeing his future at Arsenal cast into doubt by the signing of Alexandre Lacazette and Everton hoped to lure him to Goodison Park.

It was a deal that rumbled on throughout the summer but, in the end, Giroud chose to remain at Arsenal.

(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

It was, according to Ronald Koeman, the decision that eventually cost him his job at Everton. As he told Voetbal International, as relayed by The Telegraph, they had Giroud ‘in the building’ but he decided he did not want to leave London.

Everton’s inability to replace Lukaku left them desperately short in attack. It proved a massive contributing factor to Everton’s woeful start to the season which saw Koeman dismissed in October.

Giroud, of course, went on to join Chelsea in January.

Everton’s demise from last season, as far as Koeman is concerned, can be pinpointed too hedging their bets on Giroud 12 months ago.

This summer the club must be more fluid in the transfer market.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ready to splash out £27million on Benfica left-back Alex Grimaldo, as Danny Rose looks set to leave the North London side this summer.

Grimaldo joined Portuguese giants Benfica in 2016 after leaving Barcelona’s renowned La Masia in search of some first-team action and has since lit up the Portuguese top flight with some impressive performances.

Record reports that Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has put aside £27million of his transfer kitty to make a move for the talented 22-year-old should his current left-back, England international Danny Rose, leave Spurs this summer.

And with the quality Grimaldo has shown during his time at Benfica, there is no doubt he would be the perfect replacement for Rose.

The 22-year-old notched up three goals and seven assists last season, and the fact he was nurtured and produced in Barcelona’s famous youth system makes his signature even more lucrative.

However, despite the apparent interest from Pochettino and Spurs, the North London club have yet to make a move for the Spaniard and are reportedly waiting until current left-back Rose decides whether he is staying or leaving.

Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Grimaldo fits the bill for Tottenham and he is precisely the type of player that the North London clubv so desperately missed last season in the hunt for some much-needed silverware.

For Pochettino, he is the ideal replacement for Rose and has already proved himself at one of Europe’s biggest clubs as being a dynamic and fast modern full-back with an abundance of talent.

The perfect fit, surely? It is not often players of Grimaldo’s age and pedigree become available at a relatively low price and, even if Rose chooses to stay at Tottenham, missing out on Grimaldo’s signature would be a golden opportunity missed.