Danny Murphy has urged his former club Liverpool to go 'all out' for midfielders Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips this summer.
The Reds ended the season with the Carabao Cup and FA Cup after being pipped to the league title by a single point and beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid in the Champions League final. All eyes are now on next season and whether Jurgen Klopp's side can add more silverware.
The club have already secured a deal for Fulham's Fabio Carvalho, a transfer they initially tried to secure in the January window. According to Murphy, however, reinforcements will be needed in the centre of the pitch this summer.
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He told talkSPORT : "I don’t think they need to go heavy on forward players, they’ve got Jota - who’s shown his worth in terms of goals - I think Firmino will stay another year but they will have to sign someone if Firmino goes.
"My thing is if you look in the midfield area, defensively they’re fine they’ve got lots of cover, I don’t know if Milner will stay, Ox will probably go, I’m not sure Keita’s the answer.
"So that midfield three of Thiago, Fabinho, Henderson is phenomenal but Thiago does struggle with injuries and you can’t expect Jordan to keep playing 45-50 games, he’s in his 30's now.
"I’d be going all out for (Declan) Rice or (Kalvin) Phillips. English, hungry, someone you know will be around for a long time, can come in hit the ground running, that’s where I’d be looking."
Milner is out of contract this summer, although earlier reports suggest he could be offered a one year extension, while both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are about to enter the final year of their deals.
Thiago and Fabinho suffered injuries late in the season and faced a race against time to be fit for Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid. Both made the starting line-up in the defeat at the Stade de France and played the majority of the 90 minutes.
