"He is exactly the kind of player that Liverpool need in midfield" - Jose Enrique urges Reds to sign PL star next summer

Former Liverpool left-back has urged his former club to sign Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha next summer. Palhinha has been a much-coveted player in recent months. The Reds have been mentioned as one of the many reported admirers of the Portuguese midfield dynamo.

Palhinha came agonizingly close to leaving the Cottagers in the summer for Bayern Munich. But the deal broke down at the last moment on Deadline Day.

The former Sporting CP star signed a new deal at Craven Cottage valid until 228 but interest in him has refused to die down. Jose Enrique has urged Liverpool to make a move for the defensive midfielder next summer insisting that he is perfect for Jurgen Klopp's side. The Spaniard said, as quoted by Echo:

“Joao Palhinha has been linked with Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham. Firstly, I don’t think you can put Tottenham in that conversation in terms of pulling power alongside the likes of Liverpool and United – they’re not the same.

"I think Palhinha is a great player and I would love him at Liverpool. I think he is exactly the kind of player that Liverpool need in midfield."

Enrique, however, acknowledged that he does not see Fulham letting their star player leave in January. He reckons that they will be looking for an unrealistic fee if they have to let him depart. He insisted that a summer move could be on the cards and urged Jurgen Klopp to sign the Portugal international.

Enrique said:

"However, if they try to sign him in January then I think Fulham will ask for a fee that no-one is willing to pay. In the summer window it is a different story and I think something is more likely to happen with him then.

"In January, Fulham will probably ask for over £100million for him and no one is going to pay that, but they will be back for him in the summer.”

Palhinha has been impressive for Fulham since arriving from Sporting CP in 2022 in a deal reportedly worth £20 million, registering 59 appearances.

Although Marco Silva's side haven't been as good as they were last season, Palhinha has impressed this season as well. He has scored two goals and provided one assist in 16 league games.

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Mohamed Salah's absence during AFCON

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has spoken about how his side will cope with the absence of their star player Mohamed Salah next month.

'The Egyptian King' is set to depart the Reds' camp after their Premier League clash against Newcastle United at Anfield on Monday, January 1. He will be off to represent his country in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

At a pre-match press conference, Klopp was asked to opine on Salah's absence in next year's first few weeks. He replied (h/t Independent):

"It is not the first time, it is a really very average situation that you lose your goalscorer but we had it even worse in the past when Sadio [Mane] and Mo left. We came somehow through it and traditionally one of them went pretty far in the tournament, which made it worse."

The Liverpool managed added:

"We knew the Africa Cup of Nations from time to time appears and Mo has to go and we have [Wataru] Endo as a participant of the Asia Cup as well, so it is like it is. We have to deal with it and we will."

Salah has been impressive this season having netted 16 goals and laid out eight assists in 26 games across all competitions for the Reds.