John Barnes has suggested that Declan Rice would be a fitting signing for Liverpool to make in the summer transfer window.
The Reds are thought to be keeping an eye out for a midfield replacement for PSG-bound, ex-No.5 Gini Wijnaldum, with the Dutchman having failed to agree new terms at Anfield.
“There have been suggestions that Declan Rice is a target for Liverpool and he would be a good fit for them,” the ex-Red told Bonus Code Bets (via the Metro).
“Liverpool like central midfield players who work hard.
“Declan Rice isn’t going to come in and score lots of goals, he’s not going to be creative, he’s not a midfield player like David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne or Ilkay Gundogan, but Liverpool don’t need that.
“The kind of players Liverpool need are players like Rice or Yves Bissouma, hard-working midfield players who get the ball forward, make tackles, win the ball and keep it quite simple.
“He’s similar to Jordan Henderson in that way. So if he wants to come to Liverpool, he has the right profile for them.”
Compared to captain Jordan Henderson, the West Ham star would likely not come cheap given his long-term contract, not to mention Hammers boss David Moyes valuing the 22-year-old at over £100m, as reported by The Telegraph.
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While undoubtedly a decent player, Rice’s asking price (potentially in excess of the £58.5m valuation touted by Transfermarkt) will likely be far from attainable as far as our finances go.
Assuming that we have a rough amount of leeway beyond the £60m figure target in player sales we’re reportedly hoping to reach, as far as a transfer kitty goes, we can’t see Liverpool spending much beyond £40m, if that, on a midfield replacement for Wijnaldum.
With the 30-year-old proving to be one of our most reliable fixtures in the first-team, however, it remains imperative that the recruitment team identifies a target with a similar level of durability to the Dutch international.