A former Anfield favourite has questioned whether the World Cup winner would buy into Jurgen Klopp's philosophy on Merseyside
Liverpool "need to sign another forward" but Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe may not be the right fit for the club, according to John Barnes.
The Reds have been strongly linked with a world-record move for Mbappe in recent months, but Jurgen Klopp played down the rumours last year due to PSG's reported £200 million-plus ($249m) valuation.
The 21-year-old is widely regarded as the finest young player in Europe, and already has the medals behind him to live up to such a tag.
Mbappe has won seven major trophies at club level, including three Ligue 1 titles, and also played a key role in France's run to glory at the 2018 World Cup.
The mercurial striker has hit 30 goals in 33 outings for PSG this season, overshadowing football's most expensive player Neymar in the process, while also being tipped to become a future Ballon d'Or winner.
Liverpool already boast arguably the most fearsome attacking unit in Europe, with Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane linking up to great effect in the final third of the pitch.
However, it has been reported that Mane could be sold to Real Madrid, which would potentially leave a spot open for Mbappe to head to Anfield.
Barnes is not certain that the France international would slot into Jurgen Klopp's line up seamlessly though, highlighting his lack of work when out of possession as a possible cause for concern.
"They'll need to sign another forward at some point in case one of the front three leaves but it will have to fit what Klopp wants," the former Liverpool midfielder told the Daily Mail.
"Kylian Mbappe is fantastic on the ball but would he do the other stuff? I'd suggest if you're a 21-year-old superstar, your attitude isn't going to change.
Barnes went on to stress how "important" Firmino is to the current Liverpool squad, despite the fact his numbers for goals and assists consistently fall below Mane and Salah's.
"I think he is the most important forward in what he gives the team," he said. "He gives Liverpool invention in tight areas."
Barnes added on Klopp's unique selection and recruitment policy: "Klopp signs players to fit his system, not only because they looked great at their previous clubs.
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"Ninety-nine per cent of people wouldn't pick Henderson and Wijnaldum above Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva or even Jack Grealish or James Maddison, but they work for Liverpool.
"Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri came in for the Barcelona semi-final, their attitude was great and they were physically ready. It shows they were training well, waiting for their chance.
"Jurgen creates that environment. One of the bravest things was letting Philippe Coutinho go and not directly replacing him. Liverpool trusted him."
Source : Football News, Live Scores, Results & Transfers | Goal.com
Liverpool need another forward but Mbappe may not be the right fit - Barnes
Liverpool need another forward but Mbappe may not be the right fit - Barnes
