- 42 minutes ago
Liverpool’s perfect answer to glaring problem is at Chelsea, Klopp told
Liverpool have been told that they should look to Chelsea in the summer in order to solve one major issue in their squad.
Jurgen Klopp’s men lie 10th in the Premier League and are enduring one of their most disappointing seasons in recent memory.
The Anfield club have come in for criticism because of their failure to evolve in midfield. Where they once looked energetic and dynamic, they now look slow and faltering.
EXCLUSIVE: Man Utd and Liverpool to battle over Paul Mitchell
Glen Johnson, a former Liverpool, Chelsea and England defender, has told Klopp that Blues midfielder N’Golo Kante could prove an ideal solution to the issue.
“If N'Golo Kante is available on a free transfer, then that’s something you need to consider seriously,” he told Betfred.
“The guy wears his heart on his sleeve and he has the energy to perform how Jurgen Klopp expects his players to perform. If Liverpool can sign him on a free then blimey, you need to put your hat in the ring.”
MORE: Liverpool to axe €175m worth of players in 'ruthless rebuild'
Why Liverpool will be cool on Kante
Kante, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, is out of contract with Chelsea in the summer, and though talks are ongoing between the parties, the longer that time passes without a clear solution, the likelier it is that he will leave as a free agent.
Given his experience and the manner in which he has transformed the defensive midfield role over the last decade, he would appear to be a logical target.
Liverpool, though, will be wary of Kante’s physical condition. A player who requires his body to be in peak condition to operate at his best level, the 31-year-old has been missing since August through a hamstring injury.
Indeed, Kante only managed 26 appearances in the Premier League for Chelsea last season, too, suggesting his body is becoming increasingly frail.
Given Liverpool’s issues this season have, in part, been caused by chronic injury problems, doubts must be raised if they would be willing to sign Kante, who has missed so much football in the last 18 months because of just these issues.