"Now we have the first steps; the tour is going well, I am happy, but we still need to see senior players integrate, and that has been quite progressive.
We are in a good direction," Iraola said.
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Addressing squad composition, Iraola outlined specific positional constraints within his squad, particularly at full-back and centre-back.
"In the long term, we know we want Conor Bradley to be our right back but right now he’s still a little bit far from returning," Iraola said.
He confirmed that active efforts are underway to resolve the current shortage of defensive depth.
"So with the centre-back, right-back situation, in terms of defensive depth, we are very thin right now, so it’s a solution that we are trying to find," Iraola said.
Statistical comparisons show Tomori registered 65 tackles and 33 appearances in Serie A last season, outperforming Konate's 0.81 tackles per 90 minutes with 1.37 of his own.
However, Konate maintained a higher aerial duel win rate of 71.3 percent compared to Tomori's 47.1 percent across 16 aerial contests.
Italian analyst Massimo Pavan provided details on the initial talks between the two clubs. "Liverpool has started the first contacts with Milan for Fikayo Tomori.
Iraola is looking for a new centre-back, while the Rossoneri are evaluating the defender’s future," Pavan said.
He clarified that formal negotiations have not yet advanced beyond preliminary exploratory discussions.
"Liverpool would have already started a first exploratory contact with Milan to understand the feasibility of the operation," Pavan said.
Pavan added that the Premier League side is assessing financial parameters before committing to a bid.
"At the moment, the talks would still be in the early stages and there would be no advanced negotiation, but the name of the English centre-back has concretely entered the list of possible reinforcements for Iraola’s defense.
The Reds’ goal is to evaluate costs and room for manoeuvre before deciding whether to submit an official offer," Pavan said.
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Negotiations are expected to continue as Liverpool evaluate the total cost of a potential transfer before determining whether to submit an official bid to AC Milan.
