There are few occasions when James Pearce puts fingers to keyboard to actually confirm a Liverpool transfer rumour!
He has a habit of denying nearly of all of them – which is exactly what he should be doing if they’re bogus – of course…
It does say a lot about the fabricated links from publications around Europe, however, and their ability to simply conjure transfer links between Liverpool and near enough anyone.
“Liverpool have no intention of launching a bid for Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele in January,” Pearce wrote in the Echo today amid £85m transfer stories, before suggesting the player isn’t even on our shortlist of potential future incomings either.
Dembele had been filling up column inches after suggestions he was unhappy at Camp Nou, with Klopp a confirmed admirer from a few years back.
In fact, Pearce has claimed there will be no incoming Liverpool deals during the winter, despite repeated fan calls for a shiny new playmaker following the failure to get Nabil Fekir over the line.
The Frenchman is doing very well for Lyon again this term, which has frustrated supporters who were already dreaming of what the mercurial talent could offer us between the lines.
With Xherdan Shaqiri doing so well though, it’s as if we signed a cheaper version of Fekir by accident.
On top of the Swiss, we have Naby Keita to come into the side and Fabinho to cement a spot – with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to potentially provide an option at the end of the season.
Liverpool are definitely well-stocked in multiple positions, so while it’s always nice to see Liverpool strengthening, we can understand Klopp’s stance.