Premier League title chasers Liverpool and Arsenal have reportedly made Eintrach Frankfurt’s Ecuadorian defender Willian Pacho a transfer target ahead of the summer window.
Arsenal and Liverpool Target Frankfurt’s Willian Pacho
Eintracht Frankfurt and Ecuador central defender Willian Pacho has reportedly emerged as a transfer target for Premier League title chasers Liverpool and Arsenal ahead of the upcoming summer window.
Pacho joined the Bundesliga outfit from Royal Antwerp last summer after helping the club to a first Belgian title in 66 years, and has impressed the masses since his arrival in Germany.
The defender has made 35 appearances for the former Europa League winners across all domestic and European competitions this term, as his side occupy sixth place in the German top flight table.
He is also a full-fledged senior Ecuador international, having first been called up to the squad for the FIFA World Cup in 2022. After failing to feature at the tournament, Pacho made his debut in in a friendly against Australia in March 2023, in which he scored the winner in a 2-1 victory.
His current contract at Deutsche Bank Park keeps him at the club until the summer of 2028, therefore Frankfurt have plenty of bargaining power when it comes down to negotiating a deal.
Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg claims that Dino Toppmöller’s side will demand around €60million before parting ways with the 22-year-old defender this summer, and that they are aware of Arsenal and Liverpool‘s interest in the youngster.
Where Would Pacho Fit In At Liverpool or Arsenal?
Despite sitting at the top of the Premier League with just 10 games remaining, it has once again been proven this season that Liverpool require further squad depth.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have struggled with numerous injuries throughout the campaign, especially in the defensive department. Joel Matip has suffered an ACL injury, and departs at the end of the season, with the Reds having to rely on Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate in almost every game whilst Joe Gomez has filled in at full-back.
Young Jarell Quansah has done brilliantly when called upon to deputise for Van Dijk or Konate at the back, however the signing of Pacho would be welcomed by Liverpool fans to ease the pressure on their current set of defenders.
As for Arsenal, they have consistently fielded a central defensive pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel for the majority of the campaign. Ben White has been used as a right-back, and summer signing Jurrien Timber has been sidelined with an ACL injury suffered on the opening day of the season against Nottingham Forest.
Another defensive injury could spell disaster for Mikel Arteta’s side though, therefore signing someone of Pacho’s quality would provide excellent cover for their current options and would be one to develop for the future.
The Ecuadorian is part of an impressive crop of young talents from the South American nation, making his mark in Europe alongside the likes of Moises Caicedo at Chelsea and Piero Hincapie at Bayer Leverkusen. Another is 16-year-old Kendry Paez, who is set to join Caicedo and the Blues once he turns 18.
