Former Liverpool midfielder Vladimir Smicer would like to see his former club bolster their midfield options by signing Aurelien Tchouameni this summer.
The Monaco midfielder was linked with a move to the Reds by several outlets but has been tipped to join Champions League Final opponents Real Madrid, who are still reeling from missing out on Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe. But after the French striker rejected a move to the Bernabeu, ex-Red Smicer, who won the Champions League under Rafa Benitez in 2005, thinks Tchouameni should be Klopp's man, providing the club can hold onto its key forwards.
Speaking to BoyleSports UCL, he said: “If I’m Jurgen Klopp I’d be happy if everyone stays up front. I’d go for a midfield player as that’s the area where we can be a little bit stronger. Milner might not play again and in the middle of the park, we need to be stronger. With (Ibrahima) Konate and (Joe) Gomez, we have great choices at the back as well.
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“We have Fabinho in midfield and he’s been fantastic but you can see when he’s injured. Henderson can play there but it’s not his real position, So Tchouameni, why not? As I said, in the transfer window I'm sure we can pick up the right players.”
PSG striker Mbappe has now signed a new three-year deal with the French champions, but has also revealed that he had previously held talks with Klopp about a move to Anfield. Retired Czech international Smicer, who celebrates his birthday today (May 24), would still love to see the World Cup-winner as Red in the future, no matter how unlikely it may seem at the moment.
He added: “Mbappe will still only be 26 so we’ll take him! We may need to rob a bank somewhere though! I think he’s one of the best players in the world at the moment and maybe top three in the world. Salah is 29 and Mbappe is 23 so his potential is crazy.”
