Liverpool legend Steve McManaman has urged his former club to avoid signing Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans or Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz, as he believes they ‘aren’t good enough' for the club.
It is common knowledge that Jurgen Klopp's side are in the market for midfielders due to the age profiles and the injury prone nature of those currently in the squad.
The Merseysiders have been consistently linked with Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham all summer and it is clear that the 19 year-old, who is out of contract next summer, is Klopp’s long term target.
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As a short term fix, the Red’s signed Arthur Melo from Juventus on a one-year loan deal last summer, but many believe the Brazilian is well below Liverpool’s standard.
McManaman thinks the Merseyside club would be making the same mistake if they signed Tielemans or Luiz, who have both been linked with a move away from the Midlands.
‘Douglas Luiz and Youri Tielemans are both good Premier League players, but I don’t believe they’re good enough for Liverpool,’ the former Real Madrid midfielder told Horseracing.net.
‘I’m not convinced it will be a smart bit of business by Liverpool to move for Douglas Luiz, regardless of whether his contract is expiring or not.
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‘I think he’s a good player, but I believe he needs to be quicker in a lot of the things he does to suit the style of football that Liverpool play.
‘Youri Tielemans’ contract is also set to expire at the same time, but if you’re to play for the best teams in Europe, it’s hard to find the right players that will improve your side.
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‘I don’t want to be disparaging towards either of these two players because they’re good Premier League players. Are they good enough to get in the starting line-up of one of the world’s best teams? I just don’t think so at the moment.’
It remains to be seen whether Klopp will attempt to sign Luiz or Tielemans, both of whom were heavily linked with Arsenal in the last window, but it is extremely likely that the German manager will prioritise the signature of Bellingham over anyone else.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Liverpool, Youri Tielemans, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours