Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at 2:51 PM• Rian Rosendaal

Saúl Ñíguez is the ideal successor to Georginio Wijnaldum in Liverpool’s midfield, according to Kevin Phillips. The former attacker of Sunderland and Southampton, among others, believes that the Spanish midfielder is perfect for the attacking football that manager Jürgen Klopp promotes at the Reds. Saúl is one of the players mentioned as a possible replacement for Wijnaldum who left for Paris Saint-Germain.

“He would be a great purchase to succeed Wijnaldum,” Phillips said in an interview with Football Insider. “It seems that Liverpool have been charmed by him for a long time and I therefore think they have done their homework well. He comes from the champions of Spain, let’s not forget that. Liverpool will often have the ball next season and Saúl is someone who can add a bit of magic to the game. I really think he’s a good substitute, provided the transfer fee isn’t too high for Liverpool,” said the hopeful Phillips.

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Liverpool has already made an initial offer of 40 million euros to Atlético for Saúl, who still has a contract in Madrid until mid-2025. Mundo Deportivo however, the Spanish champion is only willing to talk if an offer comes in for the midfielder of at least €50 million. The Spanish newspaper previously reported that Barcelona is thinking of an exchange deal for Saúl, with Antoine Griezmann who would then return to the club of trainer Diego Simeone.

Wijnaldum’s succession has been a issue for Klopp and Liverpool. L’Equipe reported last week that they are willing to pay 35 million euros for Renato Sanches, one of the stars of the French champions Lille OSC last season. Lorenzo Pellegrini (AS Roma), Christoph Baumgartner (TSG Hoffenheim) and Florian Neuhaus (Borussia Mönchengladbach) have also been linked to Liverpool, among others. Klopp would have liked to keep Wijnaldum for Liverpool, but the parties were unable to reach an agreement on a new contract at Anfield.