Emergence of Liverpool starlet stopped Klopp signing Dortmund left-back
Liverpool reportedly decided against making a move for Borussia Dortmund left-back Raphael Guerreiro due to the emergence of a Reds starlet.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp had targeted his former club last summer, as he looked for a back-up option for Andy Robertson, but hopes for Yasser Larouci then prompted a rethink.
Larouci was a surprise name on the team sheet for pre-season, with the Algerian making five appearances in warm-up fixtures – including game time on the tour of the United States.
The 19-year-old has since played twice for the Reds in the FA Cup, and was on the substitutes’ bench for the win over Arsenal in the fourth round of the League Cup this season.
Despite there currently being no chance of Larouci dislodging the outstanding Robertson as first-choice left-back, he remains a regular in senior training and should start in the FA Cup replay at home to Shrewsbury on Tuesday night.
And his potential is part of the reason why Jurgen Klopp opted against a move for Guerreiro, as Liverpool weighed up options for strength in depth behind Robertson, according to The Independent‘s Melissa Reddy.
Although both James Milner and Joe Gomez are both capable of filling in at left-back, as the former has done on countless occasions, Klopp was still looking at spending £17million on Guerreiro – who would have also commanded a wage of £60,000-a-week.
The player was said to be keen on the move but also concerned about playing second fiddle to Robertson, but all of that matters not after Liverpool seemingly decided that the development of Larouci made more sense.
Meanwhile, the rift between Liverpool target Kylian Mbappe and Thomas Tuchel is widening despite a meeting between the pair in front of the Paris-Saint Germain squad, claims a report in France.
The pair were seen arguing after Mbappe was hooked in the 68th minute and replaced by Mauro Icardi. PSG boss Tuchel grabbed the France forward, who had scored the fourth goal in the 5-0 win over Montpellier, and tried to explain why he had been subbed. Read more…