The January transfer window is fast approaching and Liverpool could well be in the market for some potential new additions.
Fabio Carvalho, Darwin Nunez and Calvin Ramsay all arrived on permanent deals during the summer but many felt Reds fans felt boss Jurgen Klopp also needed reinforcements in midfield. One midfielder did eventually arrive, in Arthur Melo, but his was only a loan move from Juventus and the Brazilian international has subsequently suffered an injury.
Over the past couple of weeks talk around Anfield, however, has shifted away from transfers somewhat due to Fenway Sports Group announcing their intention potentially to sell Liverpool. This has led to inevitable speculation around whether or not the Reds will spend money in the transfer market in January.
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However, with no investment or full sale likely to happen any time soon, the January window is likely be one of relative normality at Anfield. But what kind of players do Liverpool actually need?
With the Reds currently in sixth place in the Premier League table and seven points adrift of the top four, a challenge awaits Klopp and Co when the season resumes after the World Cup. While it remains to be seen what budget the Liverpool manager will have, it is arguably clear that investment is needed in the New Year.
So here we take a look at three players who would be able to fix a problem or two...
Jude Bellingham
A relatively obvious player to start things off. Liverpool fans will be very aware of the links with Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham.
The 19-year-old is likely to be one of the most prized assets in European football when the window reopens - especially if he has a good World Cup with England. As well as the Reds, the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United have also been linked with Bellingham's services.
Dortmund are likely to demand a significantly high fee for their most valuable player and, when you factor in the German club will be competing in the Champions League knockout stages from February onwards, the chances of them letting him leave mid-season seems like a stretch.
That is, unless Liverpool decide to smash their club-record transfer fee to sign Bellingham in January. How likely that is to happen, though, is another thing altogether, but it’s clear he is a player that would thrive in Klopp’s midfield.
Mason Mount
Another midfielder, another English talent. The latest player to be linked with Liverpool is Chelsea star Mason Mount.
His contract at Stamford Bridge is set to expire at the end of next season and eports have claimed that, with talks stalling, the Reds are keeping an eye on the situation with the view to a possible move.
Mount is certainly a player with immense talent and would provide the kind of energy that Liverpool may have lacked in the middle of the park this season. The big problem is, he plays for a direct Premier League rival.
On top of that, Chelsea are also in the knockout stages of the Champions League, so are even more unlikely to want to part ways with one of their star players midway at this juncture. Even more so to a direct rival in the same league.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Liverpool have a habit of signing players that do well against them - Takumi Minamino, Sadio Mane and Nunez are three of the more recent examples. And could Khvicha Kvaratskhelia be another to add?
The Napoli forward starred for the Italian club in both Champions League group matches against the Reds this term. His form since his move from Dinamo Batumi in the summer is likely to have attracted attention from Europe’s biggest clubs.
Klopp himself was full of praise for the 21-year-old after both group fixtures, and could not hide his admiration for the winger. Whether that adds up to a major transfer interest, though, is another matter.
Kvaratskhelia only moved to Italy in the summer, so the chances of Napoli letting him go so soon after his arrival is not that likely. And with a chance of the club winning the Serie A title, that will only make it ever more unlikely that a January exit will be sanctioned.
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