Former Liverpool star names 'one area of concern' as he urges against £60m transfer
Liverpool are already looking for potential signings following a slow start to the season and the Premier League holders have been told exactly who to sign ahead of next term
Liverpool have been told to forget about Adam Wharton - and instead focus on bolstering their defence. The Reds have been linked with the Crystal Palace and England star amid a stuttering start to the campaign.
Arne Slot’s side have lost their last three games in a row in all competitions which has seen them relinquish top spot. Despite a summer window in which Liverpool splashed over £400m, they have been linked with another money-spinning signing in Wharton.
The midfielder has consistently caught the eye at Selhurst Park since his £18m arrival from Blackburn Rovers. He is expected to cost far more than that, potentially close to £60m, but ex-Liverpool star Danny Murphy believes that there are more pressing matters at Anfield.
“Well, I like him [Wharton]. I think he’s a lovely footballer,” Murphy told Metro. “The game comes easy to him. And I understand why lots of people would be interested in him.
“I think at the moment, Liverpool are quite well covered. Mac Allister is a playmaker, Gravenberch can do it, Curtis Jones is in there and he’s not starting everything, Szobozslai can play in there. Endo’s on the bench; he’s a more tenacious, gritty, holding midfielder.
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Liverpool were of course linked with a move for Wharton’s Crystal Palace teammate Marc Guehi late in the summer window. The Reds had even thrashed out a deal with the Eagles, while Guehi underwent a medical, but the plug was pulled after Palace were unable to source a replacement.
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The England defender remains out of contract at the end of the season and is free to open talks with foreign clubs as soon as January. Liverpool still managed to welcome a new defender to Anfield as Giovanni Leoni arrived from Italian side Parma.
But the 18-year-old is set to miss the majority of the season after picking up a serious knee injury on his debut. Elsewhere, there are also doubts about the future of French defender Ibrahima Konate.
He has less than a year remaining on his contract at Liverpool, with Real Madrid thought to be interested in picking him up on a free transfer, and the Frenchman's performances have dropped off in the early weeks, attracting criticism,.
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