Liverpool reportedly looked into signing a new right-back this summer, and considered rivalling Chelsea for Marco Palestra amid concerns over Jeremie Frimpong.

The Reds were always bound to struggle after Trent Alexander-Arnold ran down his contract and left for Real Madrid, but it’s also fair to say that Frimpong’s struggles have been a bit of a surprise.

The Netherlands international looked superb during his time at former club Bayer Leverkusen, but it just hasn’t happened for him at Anfield so far.

A report from the Athletic notes that the £30m signing has been poor in two different positions Liverpool signed him to play, and this seemingly led the club to explore Palestra as an option before he ended up at Chelsea.

Marco Palestra in action for Chelsea (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Liverpool still have a Jeremie Frimpong problem

The Athletic’s report suggests LFC had issues getting a deal for a right-back done, due to the need to focus on spending in other areas, while there was also some pressure to get some sales done to reduce the wage bill.

Ultimately, this means Frimpong is still on Liverpool’s books as the main option at right-back, which seems far from ideal.

The 25-year-old might still come good for the Reds, and perhaps new manager Andoni Iraola can get more out of him than Arne Slot did.

But it’s easy to see why a talent like Palestra was considered, and it will be interesting to see what kind of impact he ends up having at Chelsea.

Liverpool were linked with another Chelsea star

Interestingly, Fabrice Hawkins also reported that Liverpool looked at Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto as another option in that position.

See below as Gusto was apparently being eyed as a loan target for the Merseyside giants…

? Liverpool made a final push today to sign Malo Gusto on loan, but the attempt ended without success.

The Reds were only willing to consider a loan with no mandatory buy clause, while Chelsea were pushing for a permanent transfer.

Liverpool simply don’t have the financial… pic.twitter.com/VcWihLYr5D

— Fabrice Hawkins (@FabriceHawkins) September 1, 2026

It seems this move fell through due to Liverpool wanting a loan while Chelsea preferred a permanent sale.

Overall, though, it shows just how much Liverpool wanted a replacement for the struggling Frimpong, and that must be a concern for the season ahead.

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