Klopp told he’s making a mistake signing £70m ‘squad player’ over Mason Mount for Liverpool
Glen Johnson reckons Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool are making a mistake in not reserving the £70m they’re set to spend on a “squad player” to sign Mason Mount from Chelsea.
Mount has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer as he’s set to enter the final year of his contract and extension negotiations have come to a standstill.
Liverpool were thought to be angling for a move for the England international but the latest reports coming out of Chelsea suggest there’s positivity around a new deal being struck, particularly with ‘big admirer’ Mauricio Pochettino set to take the helm.
As a result, or perhaps regardless of their chase of Mount given their need for multiple recruits, Liverpool have been targeting other midfielders, with Jude Bellingham also no longer an option.
That’s led them to Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister, with a report claiming the World Cup winner is ‘the option that has gained strength in recent days’.
Brighton have set the 24-year-old’s asking price at £70m, but Glen Johnson would rather that cash was reserved for Mount as he doesn’t reckon Mac Allister would be an automatic starter for Klopp at Liverpool.
Johnson told Betfred: “Even though it sounds silly to say, nowadays, £70 million for a good player isn’t that expensive, is it? Alexis is certainly a good player but if you have to spend £70 million, then I’d rather that money was spent on Mason Mount.
Mason would have suited the team better, he would have got into the starting eleven and I don’t believe that Alexis can instantly command a starting berth in Liverpool’s team.
“He would certainly be a good squad player, but I’d have preferred if they signed Mason Mount.”
Liverpool have also been linked in recent days with Jurrien Timber, who came close to joining Manchester United last summer.
The 21-year-old has opened the door to an exit from Ajax and Johnson reckons pairing him with Virgil van Dijk would be “bloody good” for Liverpool.
He added: “Virgil obviously knows him better than I do but he has 15 caps for Holland, so he clearly has a lot about him. If you’ve got the two Holland international team’s centre-backs as your defensive pairing at club level, then usually that’s a bloody good start.
“To play as many times as he has for his country at his age and for Virgil to speak so highly of him, then he’s clearly a very good player.”
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