If they wanted, Liverpool could benefit from a decision by Manchester United.
According to Sky Sports, the Red Devils’ pursuit of Frenkie de Jong at Barcelona is as good as over.
The Camp Nou outfit were willing to sell for around £71 million, the figure that United agreed with Barcelona last month, but a transfer to Old Trafford is now definitely not happening.
However, the Liga club remain in financial difficulty and Liverpool could and definitely should take over from where their Premier League rivals left off.
This is a player who Jurgen Klopp absolutely needs at Anfield.
With Naby Keita potentially leaving Merseyside, and Thiago, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones out injured, the Reds need at least one more midfielder this summer.
Even without injuries you could argue Liverpool are in dire need of somebody like De Jong because, honestly, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jones aren’t the answer, even if they were fully fit.
Klopp’s outfit are already five points behind Manchester City, a gap that’s only going to widen if the German manager doesn’t resolve his team’s midfield problems.
There’s been speculation about Liverpool signing Jude Bellingham next summer, which is good and well but what are the Merseysiders meant to do until then?
Truthfully, Klopp hasn’t even signed a replacement for Gini Wijnaldum yet and he left the club over 12 months ago.
This midfield crisis has been brewing for some time and maybe, just maybe, De Jong – a target in February of this year – is the man to bring it to a simmer.
Heaven knows £71 million is a hefty sum, but it might just be a necessary one to keep Liverpool competitive this season.
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