It has been a great transfer window for Liverpool so far, but a legend of our club believes that we should make one more high-profile signing.
The arrival of Thiago Alcantara had everyone salivating in what seemed to be the longest-running transfer saga in recent years. Diogo Jota signed just 24 hours later which was the cherry on the proverbial cake.
That being said, we aren’t the only top-six club getting the cheque book out this summer. Our closest rivals Manchester City have also made moves, but have been heavily linked with a move with Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly for £70m. But in recent weeks, Jurgen Klopp’s side may have entered the race for him.
But the move seems to have stalled for the time being, and former Reds’ right-back Steve Nicol believes that we should make a move for him this summer.
Speaking to ESPN FC, he said, “If the money is right [it’s a no-brainer]. But clearly, they’re asking for silly money.
“The chairman at Napoli is well known for being tough to deal with.
“If it’s silly money it won’t happen, but I’d like to see it happen.
“The guy is absolutely in the prime of his career, he’s a great centre-back. Any team on the planet would like to have this guy, but it depends on the money.
“I think Napoli will be asking for too much money, so I don’t think it’ll happen. But it would be nice if it did.”
Empty pockets
While I would be delighted to see Koulibaly stepping out alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of our defence, I doubt that this would be financially possible to take place.
Our club’s business model is to operate by our own means, which means selling in order to buy. Having agreed almost £65m worth of transfer fees for two players, I can’t see us agreeing another £70m for a 29-year-old defender with three years left on his contract at Napoli, as per TransferMarkt.
It would be bold of us to do so, and completely out of character. Nevertheless, football is a funny old game isn’t it and anything can happen.
To conclude, I don’t we ‘need’ to sign Koulibaly as Nicol suggested, but find defensive cover for the likes of Joel Matip and Joe Gomez who are struggling to stay fit at this time.