Liverpool great Steve Nicol has questioned why the club have agreed a £44million deal for PSV star Cody Gakpo.
The Merseyside club hijacked Manchester United's move for Gakpo on Boxing Day after reaching an agreement with the Dutch club.
United had instigated talks with the Dutch club, but there were still yet to finalise a financial offer and have now missed out on a major target ahead of January.
While the news excited many Liverpool fans, ex-Red Nicol wasn't so convinced and pondered exactly where the 23-year-old forward would fit into Jurgen Klopp's system.
'I'm not 100 per cent sure,' Nicol told ESPN when asked if a move to Anfield for Gakpo would make sense. 'Where does he play? He doesn't play way up high, he doesn't play in the middle. He's kind of in between.
'Where does that fit in with the way Liverpool play? I'm not so sure it does. Unless they see something and he's going to play wide of the front three, or else they're going to sit him back and he's going to be doing a sort of Jude Bellingham [role] by getting into the box late.
'Is he going to do all the hard work and get forward? But for me, he's kind of in between.'
Nicol also questioned the low price Liverpool are paying for Gakpo, suggesting the player's ability may not be up to Liverpool's level.
Gakpo's imminent move to Anfield comes after PSV turned down offers from Leeds and Southampton last summer.
The Holland international instead chose to wait for offers from clubs contending in the Champions League and despite the pull of United's Erik Ten Hag, Liverpool fit the bill.
Liverpool have concerns over Luis Diaz's injury following his knee surgery while Darwin Nunez is struggling to find his rhythm after his move from Benfica.
Leeds offered £25m plus add-ons for Gakpo in the summer but it was rejected with PSV believing the add-ons were unrealistic. They have been holding out for a deal around £45million for the Holland international.
United had been considered favourites but the ongoing talk over their sale has cast doubt over what funds are readily available this month.
Liverpool and Holland defender Virgil van Dijk spoke glowingly about his team-mate Gakpo during the 2022 World Cup.
'Hopefully Cody can go to the moon and back,' said Van Dijk during the tournament in Qatar. 'He is a very good player and a good boy too.
'What we see in training is what you see on the pitch. There is still so much potential and I hope he can carry on showing it for us. We are very happy with him.'
JustineEtuk
23
I don’t understand why this former players talk the way the talk.. this guy hasn’t even kicked the ball for us yet and they’ve started questioning how he fits in. It’s shameful when former players talk as though they don’t have knowledge of the game. Diaz is our for months and even when he returns will need a completion Gakpo is also versatile enough to play as a no 10, 9 and as a false 9 He will add quality depth to our squad... something every top team must have at their disposal I’m disappointed Nicol honestly.
Kehabcelmz
14
pls when Klopp signed A.Roberson from hull City were did you see him then fitting into Kopp team,in Klopp we trust