Liverpool have tabled a bid for the Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele after they pulled out of the race to sign Timo Werner, according to Football Insider. The report claims that Jurgen Klopp believes the winger is an ‘outstanding matchwinner’ and ‘even more of a natural talent than Werner’.
It’s said that the Merseyside giants have approached the Catalan club with a ‘loan-to-buy’ offer for the 23-year-old which would see them sign the £50.4m-rated former Borussia Dortmund man on a permanent deal eventually.
Dembele signed for Barcelona in August 2017 in a deal worth £112.5m according to Transfermarkt.co.uk, since his arrival, he has made 74 appearances, scoring 19 goals and providing 17 assists. However, this season he has been limited to just nine appearances in all competitions due to injury. He hasn’t appeared in La Liga since November when he took part in Barcelona’s victory at Leganes.
The Reds had been heavily linked with a move for Timo Werner in recent times, however, it is thought the club have decided against paying the full value of the player’s release clause having seen their revenue impacted by the global pandemic. It appears their Premier League rivals Chelsea are willing to meet RB Leipzig’s asking price and according to reports the German international is now London-bound.
Would you prefer to see Dembele come in over Werner?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
In our view, signing Ousmane Dembele feels like a far greater risk due to his ongoing hamstring troubles. Werner has had an excellent season so far, scoring 31 goals in all competitions and we believe, understandably, there will be many Liverpool fans disappointed if he does end up at Stamford Bridge.
However, based on the information available to us, the Reds’ decision to cool their interest in the player is solely a financial one and only those within the club will understand the full extent of the impact the global pandemic has had on their summer transfer plans.