Yeah... but Sancho is a once in generation talent proven across seasons with a spotless injury record. Also he's 21 and English.
The world will always find good CBs and last season, the defence was one of the best in the league despite looking vulnerable at times. Better to buyout Upamecano next season when the price drops than with Sancho who may never sign for us again with mega rich clubs recovering their finances.
You’re right.
Right wing has been and still is a big problem for us. We lucked out with Mason because he’s such a good player and has footballing maturity beyond his years, but we risk burning him out by not having adequate cover. With Sancho, we have a high chance of fixing this right wing problem for a long time (fingers crossed), which also affords Mason game time as he can play across the front three with no foreseeable issues.
Upamecano will, no doubt, have loads of suitors when his clause kicks in. However, there are a fair bit more young central defensive prospects whom are available. Just look at the generation of top young defenders that France has.
Whilst I’m not convinced with both Maguire and Lindelof, I think our right wing is in need of urgent fix, as compared to central defence.
Of course, the ideal scenario in the perfect world would be for us to buy Sancho this window, and somehow secure Upamecano when his clause kicks in. Pretty sure the latter would involve some illegal activity so very unlikely.
How did Liverpool deal with Naby Keita? I did not follow it too closely, but I have the impression that they triggered his release clause as well as an additional fee to buy him early?