Liverpool “tried” to sign Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria the day before the transfer deadline, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.

The Swiss international ended up moving to Chelsea on loan instead, with the Blues potentially paying up to £32m if he signs on a permanent basis.

Liverpool’s sporting director Julian Ward appears to have initially enquired about snapping up Zakaria, before then deciding at some point to focus on recruiting his teammate Arthur Melo.

It should be pointed out that the two players have very different styles of play. While Zakaria relies on his energy and physicality, Arthur is very much a passer in the mould of Thiago Alcantara.

Neither player was deemed good enough for Juventus (evidenced by the fact that they were available on loan) so there are justifiable doubts about their ability. We shall have to wait and see whether Arthur or Zakaria end up succeeding in the Premier League,