According to The Sun, Liverpool are interested in acquiring the services of AS Roma midfielder Leandro Paredes before the end of the winter window.
The Merseyside team are weighing up a £22.5 million plus £4 million in bonuses package for the Argentine who is no longer part of Luciano Spalletti’s first-team plans.
Meanwhile, the Italian outfit are planning to use the money from selling the Argentine for Atalanta powerhouse Franck Kessie, who is also in the good books of many European top clubs. Besides the cash, youngster Riccardo Marchizza could be used as a bait too.
Paredes has only played 14 league matches with a goal to his name. At 22 and coming in with a commendable amount of European experience, he certainly fits the plan of Jurgen Klopp and FSG. Tireless tackling, good ball control and ability to govern the situation right before the defensive line are the standout attributes of the central midfielder. He also has a knack of lofting in perfectly weighted passes that would tempt players like Sadio Mane and Adam Lallana to burn their pace. With Emre Can’s current form being patchy and Kevin Stewart looking too raw to fill the crucial void, signing Paredes does make sense.
However, Premier League rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are closely monitoring Paredes’ current predicament at Roma.
Another area which has been a bane than a boon is the solo striker slot as both Daniel Sturridge and Divork Origi are struggling to hit the ground running. Besides the drop in form, Klopp is clearly upset with the England international’s injury record.
Despite scoring 59 goals out of 111 appearances, constant injuries are a huge concern for any manager. Plenty of English clubs are still confident that they could put the injury issue to bay and get him firing on all cylinders yet again. Similar to what Roma are planning to do with Paredes, Liverpool would invest in more attacking power with Sturridge’s sales profit.
It’s been a thorny January for Klopp and Co., and their latest 1-2 defeat to Wolverhampton in the FA Cup fourth round explains that the Reds are struggling down to the ground. Klopp fielded a squad mixed with fringe players, youngsters and a number of first teamers but as a unit, they couldn’t break down the visitors’ doggy defensive tactic. The only glimmer of hope came in the 86th minute when Divock Origi found the back of the net amidst a goal-mouth scramble but it was only a consolation.
During the post-match interview, the Liverpool chief has accepted 100% of the responsibility for the humiliating defeat.
‘The start of the game didn’t make it easier but we still had 90 or 95 minutes to go. Klopp was quoted by the Daily Mail
‘I feel really responsible for this performance. I thought we could do better with this team, obviously we couldn’t. We have to think about this.
‘You learn about situations and players all the time. It was an important game for us and we couldn’t deliver today.’
With no more cup games, perhaps the German would urge his side to go all out and secure a top four spot this campaign.
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