Liverpool have been backed to sign Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele with former Red Steve McManaman claiming a move for the forward is ‘worth a risk’.
The Reds are keen to strengthen their front line to keep pace with their Premier League title rivals, and it’s said Jurgen Klopp is still a huge fan of the player, having been his landlord during his spell at Borussia Dortmund.
The Frenchman is a soon-to-be a free agent and Liverpool are looking to snap him up on a free transfer, the reports claim, with a pre-contract agreement in the works.
The Barcelona forward signed for the LaLiga giants back in 2017 for a stunning £100million, and was hoped to be a replacement for Neymar who had left the Catalan club that summer for Paris Saint-Germain.
A series of injuries led to the World Cup winner not living up to this expectation, although it’s suggested Barcelona are still keen to hang on to the promising 24-year-old.
And McManaman, who made 364 appearances in nine years at Anfield, says that if the player is available on a free transfer then the deal is ‘worth a risk’.
“If they could get him on a free contract and get the deal sorted then I don’t think there’s any problem with that,” he told HorseRacingNet.
“His wage demands would have to come under the structure of what Liverpool would like to pay but due to the fact he would be a free signing and the player knows Jurgen Klopp personally, then it could be a smart piece of business.
“He’s a very talented boy but his attitude has been questioned a lot during his time at Barcelona. He’s had a lot of injuries and he’s injured again at the moment, so his games ratio has not been good at all and that’s another thing a prospective buyer has to take into account.
“Nowadays when a club signs a player, they look into every single aspect of the player and not just what he does on the pitch. Liverpool will do their due diligence on him and whether they take that punt or not is another thing.
“However, a really talented player available on a free transfer is certainly worth a risk.”
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