Saint-Étienne defender Léo Lacroix had been linked with Nottingham Forest in January before spending last season on loan at Hamburger SV.
With the start of the 2019/20 Championship campaign just around the corner, the Reds will be stepping up their efforts to secure new signings. Sabri Lamouchi is yet to make a signing since taking over from Martin O’Neill.
The Reds are currently well-stocked in the centre-back position. It’s an area of the pitch in which Lamouchi has plenty of quality options.
The likes of Michael Dawson, Yohan Benalouane, Joe Worrall, Tobias Figueiredo, Michael Hefele and Alexander Milošević are all contracted for next season. It will be difficult for Lamouchi to pick just two of them to start if he does opt to utilise a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Comfortable
In this case, Lacroix is equally as capable of dominating in the centre of defence as those mentioned above. He has experience of playing at the very highest level. He has played in the UEFA Champions League against the likes of Manchester City.
Bild reported in January that both the Reds and Middlesbrough were interested in the defender. O’Neill eventually opted to instead sign Molla Wagué on loan from Udinese. Lacroix remained on loan at Hamburger SV and made a further nine appearances for them this year.
And don’t be surprised if Lacroix makes a sudden return to the gossip columns. Because the 27-year-old has now been made available for transfer by Saint-Étienne according to L’Equipe. The defender still has a year left on his contract, but the Ligue 1 side would be willing to let him leave on a free transfer.
It seems unlikely that he has any long-term future at Saint-Étienne. He joined the club just under three years ago and has only been able to make 31 appearances.
L’Equipe have recently reported that Lacroix is currently considering offers from across Europe. Could the Reds reignite their interest and join the host of interested parties?
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