How should Liverpool best spend the £80m from the potential sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona…
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Liverpool are currently in talks with Barcelona over a potentially record-breaking deal, that will see Luis Suarez move to the Nou Camp. If the move goes through, the biggest talking point will be regarding how the Reds are best to spend their £80 million windfall.
Tottenham proved last summer, when they used the money from the sale of Gareth Bale, that it is not always easy to replace your star man, no matter how many new signings you make. With that in mind, here are three potential routes Liverpool could take:
1) Demand Alexis Sanchez as part of the deal
By demanding Alexis Sanchez, who is valued at around £30m, as part of the deal, Liverpool will perhaps get as close as possible to signing a like-for-like replacement. A 25-year-old South American who likes to play just behind a main striker, Sanchez would be an exciting prospect for the Anfield faithful, and would lessen the blow of losing Suarez, especially with an additional £50m in the bank as well.
There is nothing to indicate the Chilean would not fit in well with the Reds, where he would play alongside the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho. Barcelona also appear to be keen on the move, as they look to finance their purchase of Suarez, but the major stumbling block is likely to be Sanchez’s apparent desire to join Arsenal. If Liverpool do make it clear that they will only accept a deal that includes Sanchez, it could open the door to Suarez staying at the club – with Barcelona then needing to make more sales to raise the cash needed for the Uruguayan.
2) Freshen Up the Leaky Defence
With the money gained from the sale of Suarez, Liverpool could easily re-work their back-line, and could target a new centre-back, left back and goalkeeper with cash to spare. The Reds defence was heavily criticised last season after they conceded 50 Premier League goals.
Manager Brendan Rodgers has been linked with Southampton centre-back Dejan Lovren, Sevilla full-back Alberto Moreno, and World Cup goalkeepers Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico) and Keylor Navas (Costa Rica). They would all be well within his price range.
3) Attack, Attack, Attack
Liverpool fans are likely to demand attacking reinforcements if Suarez does leave the club, and Sanchez succeed’s in forcing through a move to Arsenal. If both those moves come to fruition, Rodgers could instead turn his attention to the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Lazar Markovic and even Mario Balotelli.
However, it will be vital that Liverpool do not overburden themselves with attacking options, especially if they collate a host of big names who all expect to play every week. Brendan Rodgers will already have the challenge of fitting Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Joe Allen, Lucas, Philippe Coutinho, Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert into his plans, while he also has the likes of Iago Aspas and Fabio Borini in his squad.
