The next Liverpool transfer priority is quite hard to predict. That’s a good sign for Jürgen Klopp, because it’s indicative of no obvious areas of weakness.
Presumably, a defender will be on the agenda soon, with Joël Matip into the final year of his contract and Virgil van Dijk now 32. But with the emergence of Jarell Quansah, coupled with the presence of Ibrahima Konaté and Joe Gomez, Liverpool is not far off an elite set of options for the long-term future.
Likewise, the attack will need to be reassessed if and when Mohamed Salah does move on. But even in his absence, it’s not exactly a weak front line, with Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota all set up to contribute for years to come.
Instinctively, the midfield would not seem like the next area to address. After all, Liverpool exclusively strengthened that position in the summer, adding four new players for an outlay of over $150m (£123m/€141m).
That came in spite of some high-profile transfer failures, most notably the chase for Moisés Caicedo. Liverpool was prepared to spend $135m (£110m/€127m), but Chelsea was able to get a deal done, snatching Roméo Lavia away too for good measure.
It must be said that Liverpool has had no cause for regret so far. Caicedo has started poorly at Stamford Bridge, while Lavia had not even made a matchday squad before picking up an injury that currently sees him sidelined.
Even so, Liverpool’s alternative — Wataru Endō — never looked like a long-term solution. When he joined, the assumption was that Klopp would dip back into the market before too long.
That notion has been challenged by the way the campaign has begun, with Klopp seemingly content to operate without a direct heir to Fabinho. Alexis Mac Allister has taken up the deepest role, and the defensive burden has been shared more widely, with promising results.
But thanks to recent developments, Klopp might just be tempted to sign yet another midfielder. In doing so, he could seal a direct Fabinho heir for his next great Liverpool side, doing so for less than the club was prepared to spend on Caicedo.
That’s because Newcastle has agreed a new deal with Bruno Guimarães, per Fabrizio Romano, and it contains a release clause of approximately $122m (£100m/€115m). For a player of his quality, that is surprisingly low.
In fact, it’s a bit of a surprise that Guimarães has a release clause at all. But perhaps that’s indicative of the fact that for all its progress, Newcastle is not part of the absolute elite just yet, with the best players still seeking to make one further step in their careers.
Liverpool should offer that step to Guimarães. It utilized release clauses exceptionally well this summer, signing Mac Allister for a fee obviously way below value, and securing what is already looking like a bargain for Dominik Szoboszlai too. Moving for the Newcastle talisman would continue the trend.
At 25, Guimarães is still young enough to make sense for Liverpool at that price point. Alongside Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, he would give Klopp the best midfield in the league, arguably even by a distance.
And despite all the summer’s midfield transfer activity, Guimarães still brings something different. He is not a Fabinho clone, but he offers more defensive bite than any of Klopp’s other options. At the same time, he is hugely comfortable in possession, offering all of the on-the-ball benefits of Mac Allister as the number six but with added protection for the back four.
If Liverpool was prepared to go so big for Caicedo, it should certainly be ready to meet the price tag set for Guimarães, especially with the release clause guaranteeing that a transfer would require a minimum of fuss. Replacing Fabinho would truly complete Klopp’s ‘2.0’ blueprint, and the right player has unexpectedly become available.
