Thiago Alcantara would add to "any team in the world" according to Liverpool's Andy Robertson, as the Reds close in on finalising a move for the Bayern Munich playmaker.
The Premier League champions and Bundesliga holders have reportedly struck a four year deal for the Spaniard at the cost of £20m (€22m/$26m), plus add-ons, with the remaining personal terms effectively a formality to be sorted between the 29-year-old and the Merseyside outfit.
The move would arguably be considered one of the bargain buys of the transfer window, with the midfielder set to bolster an already formidable side who began their first domestic title defence for three decades in a seven-goal thriller against Leeds United last Saturday.
With Liverpool were yet to officially confirm the news on Thursday as they flattened out the fine print of their move for the treble-winning star, Robertson played relatively coy on Thiago's arrival.
But the Scotland defender still managed to profess his excitement at the likelihood of linking up with the former Barcelona man while praising the club's ability to get fans excited with their business on and off the field.
"When you're at a club like Liverpool, you get linked with players all the time," he told Sky Sports News. "For us, we focus on our squad.
"Nobody is in Melwood, in terms of Thiago, or any other player just now [linked with a] new signing. In terms of that, until something's signed on the dotted line, we don't listen to rumours.
"In terms of us, our aim is to excite fans. We excited fans last season - they believed we might have won the league by Christmas time last season - but we didn't.
"So if we're not exciting our fans, then we're not doing something right. If the club are exciting the fans with a potential link or a potential rumour that we're going to sign this player, then I suppose they're doing something right.
"I've watched him, he's a fantastic player, full of talent and he would add to the quality of the squad of probably any team in the world. So if we get him, great.
"If we don't, it is what it is but we'll wait and see until it's definitely confirmed and then I can maybe sit down again and talk about his qualities."
Liverpool face a major test of their credentials this weekend when they face top-four hopefuls Chelsea, who are widely expected to be among their key rivals this season following an impressive transfer window of their own.
