Jamie Redknapp is convinced "special" Thiago Alcantara will move to Anfield - and believes Liverpool should keep Gini Wijnaldum this season.
The futures of both players have come under intense scrutiny during the transfer window with Thiago having entered the last year of his current deal at Bayern Munich and Wijnaldum likewise with the Reds.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is a huge admirer of Thiago - who Bayern reportedly value at £27.8million - although any interest has not yet been made concrete.
Wijnaldum, meanwhile, has been attracting the interest of his former Holland national team coach Ronald Koeman, who last month took over as boss at Barcelona.
But while Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has strongly advocated Klopp moves for Thiago, it shouldn't come at the expense of Wijnaldum.
“I have a feeling Liverpool will get Thiago done," said the former Liverpool captain to the ECHO. "He’s a very special player.
“In midfield, Thiago would give Liverpool something completely different.
“I’ve played against his dad (Brazil World Cup winner Mazinho) when he was at Celta Vigo many years ago, and he was a brilliant player.
“Thiago has the same quality in the sense he isn’t fazed by anything, and he’s already played for two of the biggest clubs in the world in Barcelona and Bayern.
“He would give the midfield an extra dimension on top of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum and Naby Keita. They are all brilliant players, but technically Thiago is on a different level.”
Redknapp added: “I love the way Wijnaldum plays. He always has such intensity that you’d hate playing against him, he’s always chasing after the ball and he uses it well.
“But if you weighed up that he could go for nothing next summer, and you brought in Thiago… to be honest, I’d look to have them both.
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“Surely Liverpool don’t need to sell Wijnaldum to facilitate a move like that. If you can have them both, then why wouldn’t you?"
Liverpool's lack of transfer business this summer - their only major purchase remains the £11.7m arrival from Olympiakos of left-back Kostas Tsimikas - has prompted concern among many supporters.
But Redknapp has pointed to unique difficulties with which the Premier League and world champions are having to contend.
“Right now, Liverpool are finding it harder to sign players than just about everyone else," he said.
“If you were going to sign for Liverpool, you’d want to play. Even if you’re a great striker, you probably know you’re not playing ahead of Salah, Mane and Firmino.
“That makes it a difficult sell to some players, because the best ones will want to know they’ll probably be starting.
“If a player comes along who Klopp thinks can make a difference, the club should be looking to sign them. It’s not of paramount importance in attack right now, though.
“The front three don’t really pick up injuries – and I know that won’t be the case forever – but right now they are very fit players and show no signs of stopping.
“Again, the problem is Liverpool should only be looking to bring in players better than what they already have. And there aren’t many better than those three still.”
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