Liverpool keen on impressive Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele

According to Spanish publication Sport (h/t Liverpool Echo), Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is keen on signing Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele in the summer.

The French World Cup winner has shown flashes of his brilliance since making the big-money move to the Nou Camp. Injuries have, however, prevented him from securing a prominent role as he has made just 74 appearances in close to three years in Catalunya.

Dembele has scored 17 goals and assisted 19. There is no doubting his quality as he has scored a number of impressive goals.

The report goes on to say that Klopp is a big admirer of the Frenchman. He will cost the Reds an eye-watering £80million.

Barcelona are not yet ready to give up on the player who is currently out injured till August with a hamstring trouble. According to the report, the Catalans may be forced into selling some of their star players in the summer given they have had to enforce a 70% salary reduction.

Liverpool stars Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah could miss an important chunk of next season owing to their national commitments at the Africa Cup of Nations. With two of the vaunted front three unavailable, reinforcing the attack is a priority for Liverpool.

Once bitten, twice shy!

A major concern remains the player’s fitness. For a player demanding a record outlay, he is consistently injured to make a consistent impact on the pitch.

Since making the move to Nou Camp, he has missed an astounding 80 games. This effectively means he has spent more matches out injured than playing. A matter of concern is that he has suffered five hamstring injuries in the meantime.

Liverpool have already experienced the agony of signing a talented player who wasn’t fit enough to make a telling contribution – Alberto Aquilani. It remains to be seen if the club thinks it’s a gamble worth taking again.

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Dembele was a part of France’s World Cup-winning squad in 2018. He was awarded the Legion of Honour, France’s highest order of merit for bringing glory to the nation.