Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has entered the race to sign Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale, according to reports in Spain. The Welshman is the latest high-profile name to crop up in the winter transfer window, ensuring that there is no end to the Reds’ search for a Philippe Coutinho replacement.
The Reds are looking to strengthen their squad after selling Coutinho to Barcelona for £142m earlier this month. Bale is a long-term Manchester United target with Jose Mourinho being a big fan of the Wales international. But with United closing in on Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez, talks of luring away the Welshman from Santiago Bernabeu have subsequently cooled down.
Spanish outlet Don Balon, however, claim that Liverpool are ready to fight arch nemesis United for the signing of Bale. Talks about how Klopp would utilise the Brazilian’s £142million transfer fee continues to dominate the January window, despite the arrival of another signing at Anfield looking very unlikely at this point.
However, according to the report, our gaffer is willing to spend over €100m to bring the former Tottenham star to Merseyside. Bale has struggled with injuries throughout his time at the Bernabeu but Klopp is prepared to take a risk on him.
The Wales international was a huge success during his time at Tottenham and earned the move to Madrid in the summer of 2013. The 28-year-old winger has won La Liga once and the Champions League thrice during his time at Madrid so far.
Bale has struggled to make an impact at Real this season, playing just 8 times in La Liga, as Zinedine Zidane’s men currently sit in 4th place, 19 points behind leaders Barcelona.
However, Klopp said that he would only invest in his squad this month if the right player became available.
“If something jumps in my face we will think about it,” Klopp was quoted by Daily Star.
“First of all we have to use the high quality players we have. [Adam] Lallana isn’t the replacement for Coutinho but he’s a fantastic player.”
It is very clear that Bale’s time at Bernabeu is soon coming to an end. The Premier League is emerging as the 28-year-old’s most likely destination at the end of the current season but we need to wait and watch how this story pans out.
In my opinion, we could do much better with the astronomical money that we have, than spend millions on signing an injury-prone player.
