Liverpool icon John Barnes has explained why his former club don’t need to make a move for defender Josko Gvardiol in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old, who starred for Croatia at the World Cup in Qatar by helping them to finish third, came close to a move to Chelsea last summer when his RB Leipzig side were in advanced talks with the Stamford Bridge club.
The centre-back signed a new deal with Leipzig in December, which runs until 2027. However, according to multiple reports, those fresh terms are believed to include a release clause that comes into effect from 2024.
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Gvardiol has impressed in both the Bundesliga and Champions League so far this season, and revealed in a recent interview with The Times that he wanted to move to England. However, Barnes believes that Liverpool don’t need Gvardiol as Jurgen Klopp already has enough centre-backs in his squad - naming the four main men as potential reasons to avoid any further recruitment in that department.
“Josko Gvardiol was very good at the World Cup but I don’t necessarily think that we need him right now,” he told BonusCodeBets.
"We have Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and they are very good players. So, it’s not at the centre-back position that we need new players.
“He (Gvardiol) would be a very good addition. He has a lot of qualities and he is strong. He is a fantastic player who is very agile and mobile.
“I think he would be able to do a good job for Liverpool. But again, we can’t rely on individual quality. Even if we bring new players in, the team has to make them look good and not the other way around.”
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