Spanish outlet El Desmarque is reporting that Liverpool are interested in signing Ousmane Dembele.
What’s the story?
The France international joined Barcelona for £135.5m from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 and, although he has still managed 19 goals and 17 assists in 74 games for the Blaugrana to date and was labelled as a “phenomenon” by Lionel Messi in 2018, he has still struggled to live up to expectations.
As such, he is now being linked with a move away the Camp Nou, with the Reds touted as a potential destination. Barca are willing to let the 22-year-old leave as long as they received €100m (£84.9m) from Jurgen Klopp and co.
Not a Klopp signing
Dembele has shown in the past that in terms of ability, he has what it takes to be a world star. As a 17-year-old, he burst onto the scene in Ligue 1 with Stade Rennais, scoring 12 goals and providing five assists during the 2015/16 campaign. That earned him a move to the Bundesliga, and he continued his stunning form there. In one full season at the Signal Iduna Park, he scored eight goals and provided a huge 21 assists in all competitions. Taking the next step seemed inevitable.
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On the face of it, there are arguments to be made that he would be a great addition to Klopp’s side, but it is unlikely that the 52-year-old would look to bring him in if you look at his track record. Very rarely, if ever, has the ex-Mainz boss chosen to bring in confirmed stars to his side. Almost all of his signings have been either youngsters with plenty of potential, or players who have performed well at other clubs but are still making a step up by joining the Reds.
Dembele, meanwhile, is a player who has already moved to a top club and has failed to make the grade. Quite frankly, he is a Barcelona cast-off, which is not the kind of player Klopp is usually interested in. His attitude problems are another aspect that would count against him – the winger missed training at Dortmund in an attempt to force through a move, whilst he has been late for training regularly in Spain and is said to have a worrying addiction to video games. Given the strong team spirit at Anfield, Klopp may feel that he is worth too much of a risk.
There is no doubting his talent, and the right coach could perhaps turn him into the finished, star product. It feels unlikely, though, that that man will be Klopp, even if his influence could have the desired effect.
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