"Klopp knows him very well" - Former Reds player Jose Enrique excited about possibility of Liverpool signing 24-year-old forward 

Former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique is excited at the prospect of Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele joining the Reds. Dembele is set to depart the Blaugrana this summer ,with his contract expiring; he has been linked with a move to Anfield and is unlikely to stay on at the Camp Nou.

HITC (via Mundo Deportivo) has reported that Reds manager Jurgen Klopp is eyeing Dembele as a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian is yet to commit his future to the club with his deal expiring in a year. Enrique is excited by the prospect of Dembele arriving at Anfield.

He spoke on Instagram about the potential arrival of the Frenchman, saying (via HITC):

“What a player it will be for us Reds, and as well on a free transfer. Klopp knows him very well.”

Dembele has been plagued by injury issues since joining Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund for £126 million in 2017. He has missed a huge chunk of game time during his five seasons at the club. However, when he has been fit, he has often shown the huge talent he possesses.

Under Xavi, the winger has excelled, scoring two goals and contributing nine assists in 20 appearances. There is a feeling that should Liverpool pull the transfer off, it could be a huge coup, as the French star would be joining for free.

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Would Ousmane Dembele be the ideal replacement for Mohamed Salah at Liverpool?

Dembele looks set to depart the Camp Nou this summer.

With Salah's future at Liverpool continuing to be under intense speculation, the Reds will be remiss not to put plans in place to deal with his departure.

The Egyptian has been one of the main contributors to their success in recent years, having broken many club and competition records. Dembele, perhaps, doesn't possess the goalscoring acumen of the former Chelsea forward, but he does have an abundance of attacking talent.

He flourished at Dortmund, scoring ten goals and contributing 22 assists in 50 appearances across competitions for the Bundesliga giants. That's why Barcelona splurged to land the winger. If he replicates or betters his Dortmund exploits at Anfield, he would be the perfect replacement for Salah.

However, one should note the way Liverpool handle their transfer business, which is astutely. When the Premier League side sold Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in 2018 for £121.5 million, many thought they would go out and by a like-for-like replacement. They instead brought in goalkeeper Allison Becker from AS Roma and centre-back Virgil van Dijk.

Perhaps they will once again go into the market and pick out players with money made from a potential Salah sale this summer to strengthen other positions. They have been linked with Dortmund's young English star Jude Bellingham.

The Sun has reported that Klopp believes the 18-year-old could be the world's best midfielder amid speculation he could move to Anfield.