The Senegal international has been attracting interest from a host of Premier League sides and it appears the Reds are one of them.
Jurgen Klopp wants him man so badly, report local press, that he’s prepared to swap Belgian striker Divock Origi for Kalidou Koulibaly.
Not His Style
It’s a nice story and it’s something to get us through these cold nights of no transfer activity and no football. But it doesn’t fit the modus operandi that Klopp and Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards have operated under so far.
If you look at the big buys they’ve made over the last few years, they’ve all been within a certain age bracket and signed to fill a dire gap in the squad.
Big Three
Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho. These men were all signed because they could give the squad something it did not already have, and they could add a touch of stardust to the side.
While Koulibaly could add some stardust, Liverpool’s defence isn’t the leaky shambles it was before van Dijk arrived. It’s not been elevated to one of the best in Europe and the gains that would be made by signing the Napoli man would be negligible.
It would also put a roadblock in the way of Joe Gomez, who has made impressive strides after regaining his place in the side following Christmas. That’s definitely not the way Klopp operates.
No Need
Right now there are no obvious gaps in the team, but if there is money to be spent you can bet it’ll be done on another forward to supplement the existing front three. That’s the next area of the squad for Klopp to look at.
It’s fine rumour and Koulibaly is a man who would improve the Liverpool team, no question about it. The problem with the rumour is that it doesn’t fit with house style any more and because of that it’s hard to take it seriously.