Liverpool simply can’t afford to sign £60m Premier League midfielder now

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Liverpool are low on funds for the January transfer window having brought in four players over the summer.

The Reds invested heavily in their midfield ahead of the current season. With Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all signed, Liverpool spent around £145m.

Despite that, there have been plenty of claims that Jurgen Klopp is ready to dip into the January transfer market, too.

Joao Palhinha of Fulham is a name that has been regularly mentioned. However, in recent weeks talk of the 28-year-old joining Liverpool has cooled considerably.

And now speaking on yesterday’s edition of BBC Football Daily, journalist Mark Ogden has suggested that the Reds simply can’t afford to bring in the £60m-rated Palhinha.

“I don’t think they have the money to do it,” Ogden said, when asked about the Portuguese moving to Anfield. “I don’t think having made such a big investment in the squad in the summer they can go out and sign Palhinha. They signed four midfielders in the summer. Endo will be away at the Asian Cup, but I just don’t think Liverpool can get that deal done.”

Liverpool not ready to invest this winter

With Liverpool sitting top of the Premier League table at the halfway stage of the season, it would feel like exactly the right time to invest further in the squad.

Making a top-quality addition this month could be the difference between winning the title and finishing second.

Having been brilliant for Fulham ever since joining in 2022, Palhinha could be that signing.

However, history tells us that this isn’t how Liverpool operate. They don’t tend to make short-term decisions in the transfer market.

From a ‘bigger picture’ point of view, that’s fine and actually marks the Reds’ recruitment out as one of the best around.

But this season could be seen as a bit of a rare opportunity. If Klopp’s squad were without holes and ready to compete at the top level all season long then fair enough, do nothing.

The difference here is that there are one or two glaring areas that Liverpool could improve right now. Plug those gaps and a title challenge can almost definitely be sustained. Fail to do so and things could fall apart.

Of course we know that Klopp will back the players he currently has to get the job done. Palhinha would also be a costly signing closing in on his thirties. Normally we’d agree that a big-money transfer should be avoided. But on this occasion, we’d love to see Liverpool buck their own trend. Go on, do it, Reds. Loosen those purse strings!