Takumi Minamino is a “no brainer” for Liverpool at just £7.25 million ($10m), says Steve McManaman, with the Reds looking to do more positive business on the back of tying Jurgen Klopp to a new contract.
A player who recently lined up against the Champions League winners for Red Bull Salzburg in continental competition has emerged as a top target for those at Anfield, with Goal having confirmed as much.
It is understood that the Japan international has a relatively low release clause in his contract, which could make him quite the bargain for Premier League title hopefuls.
McManaman says a move would make sense for all concerned, with the former Reds star telling HorseRacing.net: “I thought he was excellent against Liverpool. I thought he was excellent in the first game, I think he was the one player who dragged Salzburg back into the game and I thought he was really good on Tuesday too.
“A couple of their players were very good also. I thought Hwang was good up front as well, Haaland was okay, he didn’t have his greatest game on Tuesday and he missed a couple of chances, but Minamino looked very lively and dangerous.
“If they’re talking about his buyout clause being £7.25 million, we talk about the prices being paid in the Premier League, then it’s an absolute no brainer really to pay that type of money for that type of talent.
“If he was £100 million then it would be a different conversation, but the fact that he’s the price that they think he is and they think he’s got the attitude that Jurgen Klopp wants then he could be an excellent addition to the Liverpool squad.”
GettyLiverpool continue to back Klopp when it comes to transfer targets, with the German tactician having reciprocated that show of faith by penning fresh terms through to 2024.
McManaman said of that agreement: “It’s a big statement actually because it eliminates all the uncertainty of ‘what if?’.
“I actually think that managerial contracts now are nothing, if Jurgen wants to leave at the end of the season he could probably just leave and retire or do whatever he wants to do, but I think the fact that he signed a new contract until 2024 stops all the uncertainty and all the talk about him leaving in two years or somebody poaching him.
“I think him signing a new deal until 2024 gives Liverpool that little bit of security and gives everybody the chance to breathe and plan for the future really knowing that Jurgen’s going to be there and that he certainly wants to be there at this moment in time.”
On the same day that Klopp committed to a new deal, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard did likewise at Rangers.
It has been suggested that the former Reds star will inherit the reins at Anfield once those agreements expire, with McManaman among those who would love to see a fellow Merseyside native return to his roots.
He said of the Gerrard talk: “He loves Liverpool, he’s worked with the academy, he knows everybody, he knows the ethos of the club, so of course that will be the job earmarked for him in the future. Whether he wants it, or whether he’s offered it, is another question.
“If you’re asking me whether I think he’s good enough then I’d certainly say yes.”