Liverpool legend John Barnes says his former club would be much better off going after Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele than Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho.

It is believed that Dembele could be available for around the €50m (£43m) mark this summer, with one year remaining on his contract, while Sancho has been heavily linked with a €95m (£81.5m) switch to Manchester United.

When asked whether Liverpool should be competing with United for Sancho, Barnes instead claimed that Dembele’s directness would make him the right fit for the Reds:

“As far as Jadon Sancho is concerned, out of the clubs rumoured to be interested in him I’d say that Manchester United is probably the best destination for him. At Liverpool, I’d prefer a much more direct player. Jadon is very skillful and very tricky, but I believe that Ousmane Dembele would suit Liverpool out of all the potentially available players in that position.”

Chelsea have also been linked with both players over the past several months, so it will be interesting to see whether the Blues, Liverpool and United do end up competing for the same two players.

The Merseyside club are reportedly keen on signing a new forward ahead of next season, and Klopp is said to be an admirer of Dembele’s, so it is a decent shout from Barnes.