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Opinion

Liverpool target Firpo close to Barcelona

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Image for Liverpool target Firpo close to Barcelona

OPINION

With Liverpool’s main international players yet to return to pre-season training, the Reds have still not decided to strengthen their side going into the new Premier League season.

Jurgen Klopp has only added to his squad with the arrival of 17-year-old defender Sepp van den Berg, with Sky Sports reporting that Liverpool paid an initial £1.3million for him.

The German has been tight-lipped in regards to certain targets he would like to sign this summer but has admitted that he could explore the option of signing senior players to help his squad depth.

Klopp did reveal in an interview with the Liverpool Echo, that the club will not be spending crazy money to add to his squad this summer, which rules out moves for many exciting European prospects.

Liverpool were reported by SPORT to hold an interest in Real Betis full-back Junior Firpo, after the release of Alberto Moreno led to Andrew Robertson being the only senior option at left-back.

Those rumours were surely put to an end on Wednesday, as Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio confirmed that Barcelona were closing in on a deal for the 22-year-old, in a move reportedly worth around £24million.

Liverpool are going to have surely look elsewhere now, with the young full-back set to stay in La Liga, leaving Robertson with a lot of work to do next season.

Firpo would have been a good addition for under £25million after he was involved in seven goals from defence, a good omen if you wish to sign for the Reds, who have two of the best attacking full-backs in the Premier League.

Looking at the Spaniard’s stats via WhoScored, it is clear to see where he would fit in. Defensively, he is a solid option having averaged 1.6 tackles per game as well as 1.5 clearances.

Playing in a less attacking team than Liverpool in Real Betis, Firpo still managed to average 38.9 passes per game in La Liga, with a success rate of 82.9%. The Spanish starlet would need to improve when crossing the ball, only averaging 0.3 cross attempts per outing compared to Andrew Robertson who averages double the amount.

Liverpool will surely have missed out on Firpo, and will now be forced to look elsewhere in there bid to replace Moreno – should they decide to do so.

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