Liverpool
Premier League • England
Klopp warned off £96.5m Liverpool transfer that would disrupt quartet who aren’t the issue
Jurgen Klopp has been urged to ignore a £96.5m swoop for a superstar wanted by Liverpool, with a Reds legend claiming the quartet he’d disrupt aren’t the issue this season.
Liverpool’s last chance of lifting major silverware this season went with their tame exit from the Champions League on Wednesday. The Reds did lift the Community Shield back on July 30, though that’s not considered a major honour in most people’s eyes.
Virgil van Dijk was the latest to call upon Liverpool’s decision-makers to splash the cash in the summer. His comments came on the back of his manager’s after Klopp insisted big business “will happen” at season’s end.
Van Dijk was quoted by the Athletic as saying: “Obviously players are going to leave. That’s obviously been announced so we have to, if we want to be where we have been the last five years, we need quality imports, especially with those players leaving.
“I think that’s quite obvious but everyone knows that’s going to be very difficult. It is going to be very difficult to find the right players but the club has to do their job in this case.
“We still have a lot of games to play for us and we want to be in the Champions League. I think that will also help to attract the best players in the world. Not all the time but it will definitely help.”
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Liverpool want £96.5m Croatian
Among those Liverpool are eyeing is RB Leipzig colossus, Josko Gvardiol.
The Croatian is already among the world’s best centre-halves despite being just 21-years-old. The Athletic put Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City, Real Madrid and Juventus among those most fiercely chasing his signature.
Gvardiol’s current deal in Leipzig contains a release clause that’ll activate in the summer of 2024. The clause will be worth €110m (approx. £96.5m).
Gvardiol would unquestionably represent a stellar addition for whichever team eventually swoops. However, according to Reds legend John Barnes, a new centre-half should not be Liverpool’s priority.
The Reds have floundered from a defensive stand-point this season, though many believe the issue stems from a lacklustre midfield now incapable of doing its job.
Indeed, Michael Owen was among those to defend Van Dijk when claiming he and his fellow defenders are being over-exposed by the ineffective midfield.
Barnes acknowledged Gvardiol is a fine player, though urged Klopp and Liverpool to invest their money elsewhere. In his eyes, the quartet of Van Dijk, Konate, Matip and Gomez are not the issue.
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Centre-half signings not what Liverpool need – Barnes
“Josko Gvardiol was very good at the World Cup but I don’t necessarily think that we need him right now,” said Barnes (via the Liverpool Echo).
“We have Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and they are very good players. So, it’s not at the centre-back position that we need new players.
“He (Gvardiol) would be a very good addition. He has a lot of qualities and he is strong. He is a fantastic player who is very agile and mobile.
“I think he would be able to do a good job for Liverpool. But again, we can’t rely on individual quality.
“Even if we bring new players in, the team has to make them look good and not the other way around.”