Before football was placed on pause, Liverpool were said to be interested in securing the services of RB Leipzig's Timo Werner.
The German forward has experienced a monumental season, bagging 27 goals in all club competitions while also assisting 12, with a scoring contribution registered every 72.6 minutes.
Meanwhile, although the Reds have dominated English football, Jurgen Klopp has required a capable alternative option for his infamous front three, as there's a notable drop in quality without Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino or Mohamed Salah.
There are rumours that a transfer will be restored once everything goes back to normal, so if Werner does eventually make the move to Anfield, how exactly will he fit in?
This season under Julian Nagelsmann, Werner has performed in a variety of roles, but the majority of his minutes have been spent through the middle as part of a strike pairing.
Leipzig's two most used formations this season have been 4-4-2 and 3-5-2, with Werner often leading the line. Despite that, though, he has a tendency to drift towards the left of the pitch, as captured by his Bundesliga heatmap below.
The 24 year-old is right-footed, meaning that once drifting to the left, he's able to cut inside onto his favoured foot before finishing, as captured by his open-play shot map below, with plenty of his efforts originating from the left of the penalty box.
Once also considering the remarkable pace and acceleration of the German international, it becomes clear that he's the perfect heir to Mane's throne.
He favours the left, he's right-footed, he's lightning quick and he scores and creates goals. Those are the fundamental reasons why Mane thrives at Anfield, particularly once paired with Firmino who's committed to creating space for Klopp's two wide attackers by making subtle withdrawn movements.
Interestingly, Werner could also operate as Firmino, although it's likely that he'd interpret the role somewhat differently due to his skills in comparison to the Brazilian.
Firmino retreats into midfield, offers a glue of sorts in the final third and is mostly responsible for providing a link high up the field for Klopp's outfit.
Werner could certainly play as a no.9 for Liverpool, but it's unrealistic to expect him to drop deep as frequently as Firmino does, as he's best when encouraged to dart in behind using his impressive speed.
However, the Leipzig forward does appear capable when tasked with knitting things together, stating earlier this year: "I'm playing almost as an attacking midfielder, which means I've got to play like the others do, like [Emil] Forsberg, [Marcel] Sabitzer, [Christopher] Nkunku, and get assists."
It's reasonable to suggest that Werner wouldn't be as suited to performing Salah's customary role, mostly because the Egyptian is left-footed, allowing him to drive towards goal from the right before finding the net.
A right-footed player in the mould of Werner, on the other hand, would be naturally inclined to run towards the byline or the corner flag in the same situation.
So what if Klopp was to consider a change in formation?
Formations tend to be decided based on the strengths and weaknesses of the players that are available. According to Klopp, 4-3-3 is clearly the most effective system for his current group.
If Werner was to be added to the squad, though, that could change. The German attacker may simply prove to be too good to act as a rotation option for Mane or Firmino, whereby he eventually forces his way into Klopp's starting lineup.
Mane, Firmino and Salah are unlikely to be displaced, so perhaps a central midfielder would make way, allowing Liverpool to adopt a 4-2-3-1 shape.
Theoretically, the Reds could then have a midfield pairing of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, for example, with four players ahead in Mane, Firmino, Salah and Werner, with each of those four able to play at least two different positions in attacking areas.
Ultimately, Werner's capture would permit Liverpool to showcase even more variety and fluidity than is currently witnessed.
Klopp would possess the necessary tools to truly switch things up in attack when required, with four elite performers at his disposal, each of whom is versatile enough to rotate with others depending on the task at hand.
Liverpool are already extremely unpredictable in offensive areas, but Werner's addition would signal an evolution to the next level.
