Liverpool could be part of the battle to sign Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly in the January transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones.
The Reds’ midfield underwent significant surgery in the summer, with that area of the pitch now looking completely different this season.
A total of five midfielders left the club, including Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, while Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all came in.
There was some hope that Liverpool would also sign another centre-back, in order to provide more depth there, but they ended up not doing so, which could be a big risk.
It may be that they return for a defensive signing once January rolls around, however, and speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones said that Bournemouth ace Kelly is someone who the Reds could target:
“Yeah, I mean, there’s a possibility that Liverpool could join the race on that one. It’s a bit of a strange situation in the way that it kind of fizzled out at the end of the transfer window, and Tottenham were obviously the hottest link to him at that point.
“But when you consider what Liverpool might be needing in the January transfer window as they start to tweak the squad, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise at all if they were mentioned again in the Lloyd Kelly conversation.”
Our thoughts on Liverpool’s possible move for Kelly…
Kelly has been linked with a move to Liverpool in the past, so he appears to be someone who Jurgen Klopp values as a player, and he could be a really shrewd addition in January.
Now 24 years of age, the Englishman has made 119 appearances for Bournemouth, helping them get back into the Premier League and making 23 starts in the competition last season.
Perhaps the biggest bonus with Kelly is that he is capable of playing at both centre-back and left-back, which could be ideal for Klopp, allowing him to act as a strong backup option for both Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson.
He is English, too, which would aid Liverpool homegrown quota, and while his price tag could be a little bloated because of that, the Reds could still get him for a fairly reasonable fee because his current deal expires next summer.
Former Bourmemouth manager Scott Parker has called Kelly a “top, top centre half” in the past, also saying he was “too good” to be playing in the Championship at that point, and the Reds should definitely consider a January move for him.
