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Liverpool have not really had the kind of financial strength some of their Premier League rivals have possessed. But despite that, they've been one of the most successful teams in Europe. The Merseysiders have managed their resources commendably over the course of their history.
They continue to strike some of the most shrewd business deals in the transfer market these days. They've only splashed the cash on players they've been entirely convinced of and that has worked out excellently for them.
Without further ado, let's take a look at seven of the greatest Liverpool transfers of all time.
#7 Sadio Mane (£34 million from Southampton in 2016)
Liverpool have poached plenty of players from Southampton in the recent past. Chief among those players who were roped in is Sadio Mane, who was already tearing it up in the Premier League for the Saints by the time Liverpool came knocking.
Mane got off to a flying start to life at Liverpool, scoring the winning goal for them on his Premier League debut against Arsenal. He has since gone on to become one of the most influential players under Jurgen Klopp.
Mane also picked up the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2018-19 season, netting 22 times in 36 appearances. He has won one Champions League title, one Premier League title, one FA Cup and one Carabao Cup with Liverpool.
In 269 appearances across all competitions for the Merseysiders, Mane has scored 120 goals and provided 48 assists. According to Fabrizio Romano, Sadio Mane is set to join Bayern Munich shortly after the clubs reached an agreement over a deal.
#6 John Barnes (£900,000 from Watford in 1987)
One of the most technically gifted and graceful players to have ever called Anfield home, John Barnes signed for Liverpool from Watford in 1987 for £900,000. He was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year in his first season with the Reds.
Barnes was part of the dominant Liverpool side that won the Football League First Division title in the 1987-88 and 1989-90 seasons. He also won two FA Cups and one League Cup with Liverpool.
Barnes made it to the PFA First Division Team of the Year in three of the 10 seasons he spent at Liverpool. One remarkable things about Barnes' Liverpool stint was that over the course of his stay at Merseyside, he transitioned from a quick, sharp winger to an elegant central midfielder.
In 406 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions, Barnes scored 107 goals and provided 93 assists.
#5 Greame Souness (£352,000 from Middlesbrough in 1978)
Before he became one of the most popular football pundits on the planet, Greame Souness earned his stars being one of the best midfielders in the world. He had a well-rounded skillset and was a central figure in one of the greatest teams that Liverpool have had.
In his seven seasons at Liverpool, Souness won five League Championships, three European Cups and four League Cups. He became a critical part of Bob Paisley's indomitable Liverpool side that ran riot in Europe in the 1980s.
Souness was almost exactly as you'd expect him to be if you've seen his punditry. He is a no-nonsense, tough-tackling midfielder whose grit and determination helped make him one of Liverpool's greatest captains.
#4 Virgil van Dijk (£76.19 million from Southampton in 2018)
Yet another import from Southampton, Virgil van Dijk, is Liverpool's most expensive signing ever, having cost them £76.19 million in January 2018. But it was a case of the Merseysiders making use of the proceeds from Philippe Coutinho's sale to Barcelona in the best manner possible.
Before Van Dijk's arrival, Liverpool were known for their ferocious attackers and competent midfielders. The Dutchman's arrival made them sturdy at the back and this helped transform Liverpool into a team that could mount a challenge on all fronts.
Van Dijk was phenomenal in his first full season at Liverpool. He played a huge role in Liverpool's Champions League triumph that etrm and was also named the 'PFA Player of the Year'. He has won one Champions League title, one Premier League title, one FA Cup and one League Cup at Liverpool.
Van Dijk is yet to lose a single game he has played at Anfield.
#3 Mohamed Salah (£37 million from AS Roma in 2017)
Mohamed Salah has already cemented his status as a Liverpool legend after five seasons at the club. The Egypt international arrived at Liverpool in the summer of 2017 for £37 million.
Hardly anybody foresaw the sheer impact that Salah was going to have in the Premier League. He had already had a failed stint at Chelsea by then and you couldn't blame the English top flight fans for not being convinced.
However, he scored 32 goals in the Premier League in his first season with Liverpool and silenced his critics. Salah was a standout performer in Liverpool's Champions League triumph in the 2018-19 season. He helped the Reds win the Premier League title the following campaign.
Salah won the FA Cup and the League Cup this past season and has been a prolific goalscorer throughout his Liverpool stint. He has won two PFA Player of the Year Awards and three Premier League Golden Boots.
In 254 appearances across all competitions for Jurgen Klopp's side, Salah has scored 156 goals and provided 63 assists.
#2 Ian Rush (£300,000 from Chester City in 1980)
Who would've thought that an 18-year-old signed from then Third Division side Chester City for £300,000 would go on to become Liverpool's all-time leading goalscorer?
Rush had already made his international debut for Wales before he joined Liverpool. However, the teenager mostly played for the reserves in his first season at the club.
He scored his first goal for the senior side in a European Cup game against Oulun Palloseura in September 1981. Rush had two extremely fruitful spells at Liverpool. In his first six-and-a-half season stint, the Welshman netted 207 times before leaving for Juventus.
After struggling to hit his stride in Italy, Rush returned to Liverpool in 1988 and scored 139 goals in his second stint. He became an iconic figure at Anfield, winning five league titles, one European Cup, three FA Cups and five League Cups.
Rush also holds the distinction of being the leading goalscorer in Merseyside derby history, which makes him even more of fan favorite among the Reds.
#1 Kenny Dalglish (£440,000 from Celtic in 1977)
Bob Paisley bet £440,000 on Scottish forward Kenny Dalglish to be the ideal replacement for the departing Kevin Keegan in the summer of 1977. At the time, fans were hoping that the club could transition into the post-Keegan era seamlessly.
But little did they know that his replacement Dalglish would go on to become arguably Liverpool's greatest player of all time. He is a true Liverpool hero, having enjoyed an illustrious career as both a player and as a manager for the club.
'King Kenny', as he is lovingly called, scored 172 goals from 515 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool. He was a cut above the rest during one of Liverpool's most successful periods, winning six First Division titles, three European Cups, one FA Cup and four League Cups.
He took charge as player-manager in 1985 and won three more First Division titles and two FA Cups. Dalglish will also always hold a special place in the hearts of Liverpool fans for the compassion and leadership he showed following the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.
