How Luis Suarez accidentally scuppered Liverpool's £90m Klopp transfer plan

19 November 2023 , 07:30

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How Luis Suarez accidentally scuppered Liverpool's £90m Klopp transfer plan

Luis Suarez was a favourite among Liverpool fans during his short but sensational time at Anfield.

But he accidentally rubbed the Reds up the wrong way back in 2020 when he inadvertently blocked the club's move for Ousmane Dembele. Jurgen Klopp was keen on landing the Frenchman in that January window, but an injury to former Anfield ace Suarez scuppered the whole deal.

Suarez sustained a knock during Barcelona's Supercopa de Espana semi-final defeat by Atletico Madrid, which meant he was forced to undergo keyhole surgery to resolve an injury on his right knee. It ruled the striker out for four months and as a result, the La Liga titans were in no position to part ways with another attacker.

At the time, Dembele was out of favour at the Camp Nou and keen on a new challenge. He was valued at £90million, despite the fact that he was below the likes of Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Suarez in the Barcelona pecking order.

With Suarez on the sidelines, Barcelona opted against cashing in on Dembele. That January window came to an end with the Reds signing just one player, Takumi Minamino from Red Bull Salzburg for a fee of £7.25m.

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It is impossible to know how Dembele would have fared at Anfield, but in truth, it is more than likely he'd have enjoyed a more fruitful stint than Minamino. The Japan international lasted two-and-a-half seasons at Liverpool, scoring just four Premier League goals in that time.

Minamino established himself as somewhat of a cup specialist. He'd often be called upon in the Carabao and FA Cup, playing a vital role in the Liverpool side that went on to win both during the 2022/23 season.

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Luis Suarez's injury scuppered Ousmane Dembele's move to Liverpool

As for Dembele, he did eventually leave Barcelona. The France international returned to his home country to ply his trade for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023, though he has hardly hit the ground running.

In 11 Ligue 1 games and four Champions League matches, Dembele has failed to find the net for Luis Enrique's side. Liverpool aren't exactly missing out by not having him on the books, with Klopp's men currently sitting in second with a plethora of attacking talent at their disposal.

The likes of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota mean the Reds have long had more than enough to put teams to the sword without the expensive Dembele.

Josh O'Brien