Harry Maguire to Liverpool?! Arne Slot's side told to consider outrageous transfer move for Man Utd defender

Hamann has urged Liverpool to consider Maguire as they bid to strengthen their backline this summer. United have yet to open talks with the defender, who has recently impressed against both Manchester City and Arsenal under the management of interim boss Michael Carrick. As Hamann believes that Liverpool need greater depth in defence, he has told them to explore a potential swoop to bring Maguire to Anfield.

He told CasinoBeats: "You’ve got to give it to Harry Maguire because he got so much stick in the last few years and he always comes back. If he’s available on a free then obviously have to think about it because I think what Liverpool need is more depth at the back.

"Joe Gomez has been around the squad for a long time but he’s never really been a starter for the team. Connor Bradley is out now through injury. We’ll have to see how it affects him when he comes back."

"I think Liverpool need depth in the right-back position too. Frimpong is not a right-back. I think he gets away with playing there sometimes but he’s not a right-back. I think they need a couple of players at the back."

A deal to sign Maguire would not involve any actual negotiations with United, as they would surely wait for his contract to expire before engaging in talks, were they to do so at all. Hamann has also recommended two more conventional targets: Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Shlotterbeck and Tottenham Hotspur's Micky van de Ven.

He added: "Micky van de Ven is doing really well for Spurs and there’s a player at Dortmund, Nico Schlotterbeck. He’s in talks with the club on whether he’s going to extend his contract.

"Schlotterbeck has really taken on a leading role at Dortmund in the last 18 months. He is probably our best centre-back in the national team. He’ll certainly play at the World Cup for Germany.

"He'd be a player. He's got one year left on the contract. I'm sure that Liverpool inquired about him. He wouldn't be the worst choice. He's a left-footed player as well."

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Liverpool have struggled this season to keep the goals out; they have conceded 32 in 21 Premier League games; last season, in its entirety, they conceded 41. The Reds are now having to target a top-four finish instead of a title challenge, as they sit sixth, two points behind Manchester United in fourth and 14 behind Arsenal at the summit. 

Ex-Reds defender Jamie Carragher has previously claimed that Slot will lose his job if they don't qualify for the Champions League.

He told Sky Sports: "If you don't qualify for the Champions League, having won the league the season before and spent as much as Liverpool, I don't think you've got a leg to stand on.

"The real worry I have for Liverpool in terms of qualifying for the Champions League is the three big things that stand out in the Premier League now are set-pieces, counter-attacking football and coming up against low blocks.

"Liverpool can't cope with any of them. What we're seeing is a team in the Premier League that's not suited to the Premier League.

"Once you start seeing what Manchester United and Chelsea have done in the last couple of weeks, you start seeing that Liverpool could actually finish outside the Champions League positions. I really fear for them. Once you start fearing Champions League qualification for next season, that's when I think we've got a completely different proposition when we're talking about the manager's job. That, for me, is completely different.

"If we're talking about not winning the league or challenging for the league, that is a collective responsibility, and Liverpool don't win the league every year. Not making the Champions League from [being] champions, spending £450m and having the highest wage bill in the Premier League, which is normally the biggest determining factor over where you finish in the league, I think you've got serious questions to ask."

Liverpool face Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday evening. They will then return to Premier League action in what could be an action-packed clash with Newcastle this weekend. Should they wish to push through any transfer moves in January, meanwhile, the window closes for Premier League clubs on Monday, February 2.