The 2025 summer transfer window was one of unprecedented spending by Liverpool, and next year is also lining up to be a rather active one in the marketplace for the current Premier League champions.According to Sky Sports, the Reds parted with £446m on new signings since the start of June, with Arne Slot beginning to mould the starting XI in his own image after largely keeping faith last season with the squad that he inherited from Jurgen Klopp.However, for all that investment, the Merseysiders find themselves with only three senior centre-backs after August addition Giovanni Leoni tore his ACL last month, sidelining him for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, it remains to be seen if Ibrahima Konate will sign a new contract at Anfield, with his current deal now less than nine months away from expiry.Liverpool could push for ‘more than one’ centre-back signingIn a report for the Daily Briefing on Monday, Mark Brus indicated that Liverpool could push for multiple centre-back additions in 2026, particularly if they’re unable to persuade the Frenchman to stay put.The transfer reporter stated: ‘If I were to guess, I’d say there’s a decent chance Liverpool’s list of CB targets is growing because they might try making more than one signing in that position, though of course that’s unconfirmed for the moment, and would likely change if Konate ended up staying.’It was claimed that the Reds could seek to bring in a would-be free agent such as Marc Guehi or Dayot Upamecano, in addition to ‘spending a decent sum’ on another rumoured target like Murillo or Sven Botman.(Photos by Eddie Keogh, Angel Martinez and Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)Liverpool absolutely MUST sign at least one centre-back in next 12 monthsAs it stands, recruiting a centre-back must be Liverpool’s priority in the January transfer window. If Konate is to depart in the summer, Richard Hughes would realistically need to bring in at least one more defender before September 2026.While that’d cover off that part of the squad in the short-term, we’re unfortunately edging closer to one of the most pivotal Anfield boardroom decisions in years, namely pinpointing and signing a long-term successor to the legendary Virgil van Dijk, who’ll turn 35 next July.There are also question marks as to how much longer Joe Gomez will remain at the club if he continues to struggle for game-time under Slot. Our longest-serving current player has only had 119 minutes on the pitch so far this season, with 90 of those coming in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton.Barring any major developments elsewhere in the squad between now and January, adding a centre-back is the absolute priority for Hughes in the next transfer window; and with prospective sellers aware of our desperation on that front, we can expect to pay a pretty penny for anyone whose contract runs beyond next summer.Even if Konate stays, it’d be negligent in the extreme for Liverpool to not sign at least one central defender over the next 12 months.You can watch Slot’s post-Chelsea press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:The post Transfer reporter: Liverpool could push for ‘more than one’ centre-back signing in next 12 months appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.