Liverpool have now emerged as contenders to sign Newcastle United centre-back Malick Thiaw, despite overhauling their defence in the summer.

The Reds brought in Ronald Araujo and Jeremy Jacquet and to bolster their backline, and the latter player started alongside Virgil van Dijk at Ipswich Town last time out, helping his side keep a clean sheet in a comfortable 2-0 victory.

Jacquet put in a solid all-round performance to help close out a win, which was Andoni Iraola's side's first of the season.

However, Van Dijk has suggested it will take the two new signings some time to bed in, saying: “Jeremy’s English is, I would say, a bit better than Ronald’s, but at the end of the day we are all pretty good footballers, we can see and smell some moments on how to defend certain situations.

"But it’s pretty clear that you need to form a connection together and that takes a bit of time. That’s absolutely normal, but hopefully we can get that going as quickly as possible."

As for Van Dijk, the Dutchman is now 35-years-old, and his contract is set to expire at the end of the season, which means Iraola may need to start thinking about signing a long-term replacement sooner rather than later.

Thiaw could be a viable option, considering the Newcastle star has now proven himself in the Premier League, scoring four goals in 38 matches in the competition, while he has also been solid from a defensive standpoint this season.

Malick Thiaw's Premier League performance

• 3 appearances
• 15 duels won
• 62.5% duels won
• 73.3% aerial duels won
• 6 blocked shots
• 6 recoveries
• 15 clearances
• 1 clean sheet
• 0 yellow cards

Moreover, Erdem Canpolat played with the 25-year-old in the Schalke youth team, and said: "Malick never shies away from a challenge and always wants to lead from the front - a true mentality monster."

That certainly makes the former Schalke man a Jurgen Klopp-style player, considering the German built a team of 'mentality monsters' during his near nine-year reign at Liverpool.

Liverpool enter the picture to sign Malick Thiaw

According to a report from Caught Offside, Liverpool have now entered contention to sign Thiaw, but formal discussions are yet to get underway, and Newcastle are hesitant to sanction a departure.

As such, the Reds may have to break the bank to prise the Germany international away from the Magpies, with a potential asking price of £65m - £70m touted.

Manchester United could provide competition in the race for the Newcastle defender's signature too, with Michael Carrick's side also tracking his performances.

However, with Thiaw under contract until 2029, after only arriving from AC Milan last summer, Matthias Jaissle's side are under no pressure to cash-in anytime soon.