OPINION
Liverpool are reportedly ready to splash £133.9million on signing Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele – but that would be a terrible decision by the European champions.
According to Spanish news outlet Don Balon, Jurgen Klopp is prepared to spend a club record fee on luring the 22-year-old to Anfield this summer despite two underwhelming seasons at Barcelona.
It is understood that Klopp has ‘fallen in love’ with Dembele, even though it is hard to see what he could offer to the Liverpool squad that isn’t already there and his enormous price-tag.
Although Dembele is admittedly very pacey and has the ability to use either foot and play on both wings, the fact that he has struggled with one of the best teams in the world should set off alarm bells at Anfield.
Last season, the France international scored 14 goals and supplied nine assists in 42 appearances across all competitions for Barca as they won the La Liga title, but ultimately failed to reach the Champions League final and ended as runners-up in the Copa Del Rey.
According to stats by WhoScored, Dembele did finish the La Liga season with a better pass completion percentage than Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, but the ex-Borussia Dortmund player averaged fewer shots per La Liga match than both of them, averaged fewer key passes than Salah and was dispossessed more times on average than Mane.
Dembele was also hit by a couple of injury issues last season.
While they weren’t serious, he did miss 13 matches due to three different spells on the sidelines [transfermarkt].
It would be a massive risk by Liverpool to spend £133.9million on a player who they do not need and who isn’t proven in English football.
Why would they twist when their current hand is a winner?
Liverpool could become the laughing stock of the Premier League if they were to spend so much money on a player who just hasn’t proven himself to be capable at Barcelona.
Klopp has other areas of the squad that he needs to invest in so splurging over £100million on what would essentially be a back-up for Salah or Mane would be the biggest waste of money the English top-flight has ever seen.
