Liverpool supporters have been in high spirits in the Transfer Tavern this week after seeing their side convincingly thump West Ham 4-1 at the London Stadium on Saturday, a result which moved them up to fifth in the Premier League table.

Jurgen Klopp’s men went into their clash with the struggling Hammers off the back of victories over Huddersfield Town and Maribor, and first half strikes from in-form Mohamed Salah and Joel Matip set them well on their way to another three points. Manuel Lanzini did however get one back for the hosts ten minutes after the break, although their hopes soon vanished as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made it 3-1 almost immediately, before Salah bagged his second and Liverpool’s fourth 15 minutes from time to seal the rout.

Thus, there has been many happy Liverpudlians in the Tavern this week, and many are already eagerly anticipating their side’s return to league action in ten days’ time at the conclusion of the current two-week break for internationals.

In the mean time though, many of those Liverpool fans lining up at the bar have been discussing potential January signings at Anfield, and one man they could see donning the red of the club in 2018 is Lazio centre-back Stefan de Vrij.

The 25-year-old made the move to the Italian giants back in 2014 and has since been a revelation with 84 appearances for the club, 27 of which came last season to help them to a fifth place finish in Serie A, and thus a place in this season’s Europa League.

However, recent reports suggest that the Netherlands international could be available for as little as €25 million, which is likely to be of interest to Liverpool chief Klopp, who is reportedly interested in the defender.

And should De Vrij make the move to Anfield in January, here is what their impenetrable back line could look like with the £24.3 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt)…

Nathaniel Clyne

Liverpool fans have yet to see Nathaniel Clyne play for their club this season, with a troublesome back injury keeping him on the sidelines.

The likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez have done well in his absence, but there’s little doubt that when the 26-year-old returns to full fitness, he’ll be back in Klopp’s squad.

The England international has been a consistent performer for the Reds since his move from Southampton back in 2015, missing just one Premier League game last season, and his return will certainly feel like a new signing given how adept he is defensively, and how much Liverpool have struggled at the back this term.

Joel Matip

Joel Matip made the move to Liverpool back in the summer of 2016 in a bid to shore up their leaky defence, and did reasonably well last season in the heart of their backline.

The 26-year-old appeared 29 times in the Premier League last term to help Klopp’s men finish fourth and thus return to the Champions League, and the former Cameroon international did a pretty good job in an otherwise unconvincing back four.

However, Matip has struggled more this time round and was guilty of making a key error in the build up to Newcastle United’s equaliser back on October, and he also didn’t cover himself in glory in their 4-1 thrashing at Tottenham either.

Nonetheless, the 26-year-old has proven himself to be a decent centre-back at this level, and will likely remain one of Klopp’s first choices as the campaign progresses.

Stefan De Vrij

Liverpool’s need for defensive reinforcements has gone on for a while now, and one man they have reportedly been keeping tabs on is Lazio’s Stefan De Vrij.

The 25-year-old has been hugely impressive for the Italian giants since moving there back in 2014, and appeared in 27 Serie A matches last term to help them to a fifth place finish in the division, and thus a spot in this season’s Europa League group stages.

And with starts in ten of their 11 league games this time round, in which they have won nine and sit fourth in the table, De Vrij continues to make great strides, and as such is showing all the qualities of a centre-back Liverpool are in dire need of.

He could reportedly be available for as little as €25 million as well, and given that Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk could set them back significantly more than that, it’s a deal Klopp must seek to strike to enhance his backline.

Alberto Moreno

Both the centre-back positions and indeed the left-back spot have been problems areas for Klopp in the last 12 months or so, with midfielder James Milner deputising at the latter for much of last season.

And although the Reds signed Andrew Robertson, a very highly-rated full-back, over the summer, it’s Alberto Moreno who has taken his chance in that role so far this term.

The Spaniard seriously struggled at the start of last season and was eventually disposed by Milner, which left his Liverpool future looking particularly bleak.

But the 25-year-old has clearly worked hard over pre-season to impress Klopp as he has started nine of their 11 Premier League matches, and impressed in the vast majority of them to suggest that left-back isn’t an area in serious need of strengthening in January.