OPINION
Liverpool don’t need to make wholesale changes to their squad this summer after tasting Champions League glory this season.
However, one area of the pitch where they perhaps might wish to upgrade is central midfield, where the team at times suffered from a lack of creativity and goalscoring ability this term.
One man who could help plug that gap is Rennes midfielder Benjamin Bourigeaud, and the Reds would likely be pulling off a masterstroke by bringing him to Anfield.
Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo reported recently Jurgen Klopp’s team are part of an 11-team transfer tug of war for the 25-year-old who starred in Ligue 1 this campaign. He is thought to be valued at £17.9million by the French side.
La Liga outfit Sevilla are thought to already be in negotiations for the player, but Liverpool are also in the hunt, as are Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Napoli, Atalanta, Inter Milan, Roma and AC Milan.
Clearly, it’s going to be difficult to steal a march on all those other teams. However, Liverpool’s status as European champions could well give them the edge if they are seriously interested in the player.
And why wouldn’t they be? As per WhoScored, he scored more goals and bagged more assists than the Reds’ regular central midfield trio of James Milner, Georgina Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson last time out (Fabinho was exempted as he’s a purely defensive midfielder).
Bourigeaud also had far more shots per game than the trio, while he trails only Milner in average key passes per game. Clearly, he has an offensive mindset, while his ability to operate all across the midfield is reminiscent of the former Manchester City man.
This is a player who could come into Klopp’s team and provide the creativity and the eye for goal that was missing at times this season. Plus, at 25 he is young enough to get better in the years to come. Michael Edwards needs to get on the phone as soon as possible.
