Former Anfield favourite urges Liverpool to sign dominant Premier League midfield star

Djibril Cisse wants Liverpool to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice

Speaking with Lord Ping (h/t Liverpool Echo), former Liverpool player Djibril Cisse wants the club to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice in the summer window.

We all know that the Reds will undergo a midfield overhaul at the end of this season, with Naby Keita and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain leaving for free as their contracts expire, and Jordan Henderson isn’t getting any young (32 now).

Among the primary midfield targets are Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund, Mason Mount of Chelsea and Matheus Nunes of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Liverpool have had their name linked with Rice, but sporadically to say the least.

Here’s what Cisse said when asked about which midfielder the club should sign (h/t Liverpool Echo):

“Declan Rice is a top player who could bring something to the squad. However in the midfield I do like Jordan Henderson and wouldn’t want to rule him out.

“Perhaps Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson could be a serious partnership.”

As much as the idea of signing Rice is not a bad one, partnering him with Henderson is a bit too much from Cisse. The captain will be 33 next season and has already shown signs of slowing down this year. So, it is better if he is not in the plans for regular minutes from 2023/24 onward.

On the other hand, signing Bellingham could cost Liverpool in the region of £130m. We have read reports of West Ham boss David Moyes slapping a price tag of close to £150m for Rice, which was questioned by Roy Keane. So, financially, it is frankly impossible for the Reds to sign both players.

If we have to choose between them, Bellingham’s signature definitely takes more precedence for Jurgen Klopp because he would provide legs, freshness and box-to-box quality from midfield, something we have lacked in the last 6-8 months.

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• Liverpool are very interested RB Leipzig star Josko Gvardiol
• Barcelona set £53m price tag on Liverpool target Ansu Fati

Liverpool have recently shown their interest in Fulham’s defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha, who would cost £60m. If the Reds want to sign a defensive-minded midfielder, the Portuguese could be the one at a lower price compared to Rice.