Liverpool is facing a challenge in its search for a left-sided center-back this summer — but a familiar face might help it find what it is looking for.

With Joël Matip and Virgil van Dijk both in their 30s and Joe Gomez struggling with consistency and availability, Jürgen Klopp is keen to add depth to his defensive options. The Reds' first two Premier League fixtures against Chelsea and Bournemouth highlighted the potential vulnerabilities in defense, particularly when dealing with balls in behind and crosses into dangerous areas.

Several names have been mentioned as possible targets for the position. Levi Colwill and Micky van de Ven were strongly linked with the club but have since secured moves to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.

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Another player on Liverpool's radar is Piero Hincapié from Bayer Leverkusen. The 21-year-old Ecuador international has caught the attention of the Reds and is also reportedly a target for West Ham United.

Hincapié joined Leverkusen two years ago after starting his senior career at Independiente del Valle. He has shown versatility by playing at center-back, left-back and wing-back, reports the Liverpool ECHO.

His performances have been impressive, earning him a new contract earlier this year. Leverkusen's managing director, Simon Rolfes, said at the time: "Piero’s signing 18 months ago was an investment in the future, back then he was a talented central defender with really big potential.

"He became a key performer for our Werkself a long time ago, he has shown his international quality in the Bundesliga, in the Champions League and recently at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Piero is one of the key elements in the team who we can count on to help us achieve ambitious targets in the next few years."

The praise for Hincapié extends to Leverkusen manager and former Liverpool favorite Xabi Alonso. Alonso, a Champions League winner during his time at Anfield, was appointed as Leverkusen's manager last year and guided the team to a sixth-placed finish in the Bundesliga.

Alonso has heaped praise on the Liverpool target. He said in March: “I think he’s a very modern defender. He can play in different positions.

"He’s served us as a full-back in recent games, but has also been the left center-back when we’ve played with a back three. He’s aggressive, is making better decisions when he has the ball, backs himself more to play diagonal passes and get in behind.

"It motivates me to have a player with his potential and desire because he helps you and you help him. He's a great player.”

Hincapié has also shown his quality in the Europa League and Champions League, outperforming Liverpool's own center-back options Ibrahima Konaté and Van Dijk in terms of blocks made and tackling success rate. While the youngster's offensive contributions are similar to Van Dijk and Konaté's, there is some concern about his disciplinary record.

He received three red cards in the Bundesliga last season which would need to be addressed if he became the newest member of Klopp's squad. Liverpool may have missed out to a Premier League rival on one young talent from Ecuador during the summer transfer window in Moisés Caicedo, but they still have an opportunity to secure the services of another future star in Hincapié.

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This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, based on a piece first written by Tom Cavilla for the Liverpool ECHO. You can read the original piece by clicking here. A Liverpool.com news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to matt.addison@reachplc.com.