Former star names the one player Liverpool must break bank to sign

Jurgen Klopp should break the bank to sign Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona this summer, with the France star capable of replacing Roberto Firmino in the Liverpool attack.

That’s the opinion of former Liverpool midfielder, who believes the French forward would be an astute addition for Klopp and should be targeted ahead of a deal for former Reds favourite Philippe Coutinho.

Both Coutinho and Dembele’s futures are under the spotlight this summer after Barcelona signed Antoine Griezmann, while links to their former star Neymar refuse to go away.

And with former Borussia Dortmund man Dembele likely to be up for grabs, Murphy has urged Klopp to make his move.

“Dembele would be a fantastic signing for Liverpool,” Murphy told bookmaker bwin and cited by the Liverpool Echo.

“He’s not had the best time at Barcelona, but clearly has an abundance of talent and the ability to win games by himself.

“If he can recapture his belief in his ability, then Liverpool would have a formidable front three with him, [Sadio] Mane and [Mohamed] Salah.

“When playing to his potential, I think he would edge Firmino out the first team.

“Firmino is the type of player that would raise his own game and everyone’s around him if Dembele came in to the team.

“He’ll fight for his place week in week out and if you’re not giving your all on the pitch, then Firmino will be right there to take it.”

We exclusively revealed the asking price Barcelona have set for Dembele back in June.

On the potential return of Coutinho, Murphy continued: “Liverpool would be taking a step backwards if they re-signed Coutinho.

“Coutinho is at his best when playing in a central three, not wide left. If he were to come back, he would change the dynamic of the team and it would disrupt the balance.

“Liverpool’s midfield three are all super-athletes who defend as much as they attack, which they’ll lose if playing Coutinho there. Klopp had the ability to try a different formation once Coutinho departed and the results speak for themselves. It would be risky to revert back to accommodating Coutinho.

“There’s always room for a creative player, but Liverpool should be looking at a player like Ousmane Dembele or [Wilfried] Zaha, not Coutinho.”

Reds boss Klopp, meanwhile, has indicated Liverpool will have a low-key summer in the transfer market with the European champions making just one signing so far.

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