Liverpool fans could be forgiven if they got excited watching Ousmane Dembele on Tuesday night.
The French winger lit up Camp Nou with a fine cameo for Barcelona against Benfica, despite the fact he only played 25 minutes.
Dembele, a £135 million signing in 2017, has long been linked with a move to Liverpool.
And Team Talk claimed in October that the Reds might make a January swoop.
Barcelona boss Xavi lavished praise on the 24-year-old after the game.
He said via the club’s official Twitter: “Dembele shows an extraordinary attitude. He was not 100% but he took the risk to play. He is happy at the Club and when he is on the pitch things happen. He is an essential player for the team.”
Good signing?
If Liverpool do get him, it’d be an absolute steal, yes.
That’s because the Premier League side could potentially get him for free.
Dembele is out of contract in Spain next summer and should he fail to leave in January, he’ll be going for nothing in June.
Of course, he could still sign a new deal but, realistically, it probably would’ve happened already if he was going to.
The only downside to Dembele is that Liverpool don’t need another injury-prone player in their ranks.
But if he were to join for free, then the positives far outweigh the risks because, as Xavi said, this is an ‘extraordinary’ footballer when he’s fit.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
