Picking five potential targets poses a tough task when considering just how many players Liverpool have been linked with over the past few months.
Frustration over Jurgen Klopp’s lack of activity in the January transfer window has seemingly generated an exhausting number of rumours that almost represent a desperate plea from news outlets for the German to name a player he likes.
Players based on every continent and belonging to every one of Europe’s top leagues appear to be Liverpool targets, yet there are a select few who could shape up to be serious contenders to make Klopp’s wishlist.
James Rodriguez:
The Real Madrid star has been pinpointed as the latest big name that Liverpool are keen on bringing to Anfield with the Colombian having failed to cement a first team place under Zinedine Zidane.
News that Liverpool’s Fenway Sports Group owners are set to give Klopp the largest transfer kitty in the club’s history has fuelled beliefs that one or two big name players could arrive in the summer. Rodriguez is valued at around £43million and could well fit that criteria.
Any chances of signing the 25-year-old could, however, rest on whether or not the Reds qualify for the Champions League with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United reportedly also interested.
Virgil van Dijk:
Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk is a wanted man and looks certain to leave in the summer with a number of high-profile clubs chasing his signature.
The centre-back has been outstanding this season and has had the Premier League’s top sides questioning just how they didn’t spot him in the first place.
He is rumoured to cost around £50million and has also recently been subject to interest from Chelsea, who can almost certainly offer him European football next season, unlike Liverpool who still have a fight on their hands to be able to do the same.
Defensive reinforcements are a must and it might well be worth going all out to get a man who would walk into this team as a solid partner for Joel Matip.
Naby Keita:
Naby Keita has been an influential figure in RB Leipzig’s remarkable Bundesliga campaign in which the team currently finds itself in second place having only been promoted to Germany’s top flight at the beginning of the season.
Comparisons made between himself and Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante have seen him attract a number of top European clubs looking to fulfil the need for a midfield engine.
He can tackle, he can pass and has the work rate and athleticism that makes him a bargain at £26million- his reported value. Once again, interest from the likes of Arsenal and Bayern Munich makes securing a top four spot all the more vital.
Julian Brandt:
The name that just won’t go away. It seems certain that Klopp will make a move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Julian Brandt having failed in his attempt to bring the forward to Anfield in January.
At 20-years-old and tipped as a star in the making, Brandt matches the type of player Klopp is famously drawn to and the kind of prospect he would likely love to work with.
Any deal for him seemed relatively straight forward at one stage, until Bayern Munich reportedly expressed an interest in the German.
He showed very little against England in last week’s friendly but has shown glimpses of the technical ability, speed and work rate required of any top wide player in England’s highest tier.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain:
This is a rumour we would like to see materialise into something. It has been a stuttering season for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain amidst the uncertainty surrounding the future of manager Arsene Wenger- which hasn’t helped any of Arsenal’s players.
His raw talent is often unfairly overlooked and we can’t help but feel Klopp could be the man to help him develop into something special. It looks like he needs a move and a fresh start somewhere to give him a different focus and a new challenge. Liverpool can be that for him.
At 23-years-old, he has to be playing football regularly and beginning to establish himself as one of the most consistent English players in the Premier League. No longer should we be labelling him as a prospect.
He has the pace, power, skill and work rate that would make him a perfect fit under Klopp and potentially an answer to not only our need for wide players but also for those capable of playing in the middle. It just remains to be seen what happens at Arsenal between now and the summer.
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