Liverpool’s summer transfer plans took a massive blow as Nabil Fekir came out to talk down rumours of the £60m switch. He told French television, Telefoot, “I’m not close to the Reds. There are talks with clubs. I will take time to reflect on things.”
This could very well be a move to throw off reporters from complicating the transfer anymore. Liverpool have been yearning for Fekir’s arrival ever since Philippe Coutinho quit the side for Barcelona.
The attacking-midfield position has been left vacant after the Brazilian’s departure and Jurgen Klopp had picked Fekir to be the ideal replacement. The 24-year-old has bags of talent under those boots and is currently lighting up the Ligue 1.
He found the back of the net 23 times and furthered 8 assists to help his team to the 3rd spot of the league table. The Frenchman has also been named in the final 23-man squad which will be travelling to Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
He is adept at playing in the number 10 position and could have been the perfect creative option for Jurgen Klopp’s needs. However, speculations over a mishit will force us to think about possible alternatives.
Liverpool still need to fill up that meteoric gap if they want to win major honours next season. The Champions League final was evident of the playmaking options they were lacking to really challenge a team like Real Madrid on the offensive end. (Not ignoring the obvious incompetence of Loris Karius which ended up costing them the game)
Here are a few players the Merseyside club should consider.
James Maddison
The Norwich City star has been prolific in the Championship last season and was being heavily linked with the Anfield-based outfit. At 21, he is already showing signs of future stardom as evident from his 15 goals and 11 assists last term.
Maddison has the skill and the vision to really make his teammates click in the final third. He is also a threat from set pieces. Klopp is a manager who favours young talent and Maddison checks all the boxes related to the German mastermind’s requirements.
Julian Brandt
Brandt plies his trade for Bundesliga outfit, Bayer Leverkusen and is only 22 years old. He has developed to be an integral part of the German side and has already been capped 14 times by Joachim Loew for the national side.
Read More: 3 Players Liverpool Should Consider Bringing In This Summer Including This La Liga Ace!
Isco
The Spaniard continues to get linked with the Reds despite finding his form late into the 2017/18 season. He is one of Zinedine Zidane’s favourites in the Real Madrid squad and did start in the final at Kiev, even though he was mostly ineffective and was forced off the pitch in the second half.
