Barnes: Liverpool don’t need to sign more players

In an off-season where their rivals have made plenty of big moves in the transfer market, Liverpool's recruitment has been largely unspectacular.

The Reds signed Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah from Roma for a club record of £36.9m (S$65.9m), which could rise to £43.9m with add-ons.

The other two new recruits are defender Andrew Robertson from Hull City and forward Dominic Solanke from Chelsea.

Those deals pale in comparison to their title rivals'.

Manchester City have splashed out a Premier League record total of £200m to bring Benjamin Mendy (world's most expensive defender), Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker, Ederson, Danilo and Douglas Luiz to the Etihad.

Champions Chelsea swooped for Spain and Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata for £70m and Manchester United hijacked the Blues for striker Romelu Lukaku in an eye-catching £75m deal.

Arsenal, meanwhile, broke their club record by paying Lyon £52.7m for striker Alexandre Lacazette.

Liverpool have been heavily linked with RB Leipzig's Naby Keita and Southampton's Virgil van Dijk but, even if they fail in their bid to bring the duo to Anfield, former Reds great John Barnes sees no need to press the panic button.

Speaking to The New Paper at Singtel TV's Premier League 2017/18 curtain-raiser event at the Luxe Arts Museum yesterday, the former winger insisted that Klopp will make the right decisions for the club.

No, Liverpool don't need to sign more players, but they need to do what Klopp thinks is right.John Barnes, insisting that Klopp will make the right decisions for the club

"No, Liverpool don't need to sign more players, but they need to do what Klopp thinks is right," said Barnes.

"Other clubs need to sign players to please the fans.

"Klopp has gotten the fans' trust so much that if he decides not to sign another player, the fans will be 100 per cent behind him.

"Klopp will maximise the potential of the club. The most important thing is the manager."

On top of their pursuit of Keita and van Dijk hitting a roadblock, the Reds may also struggle to hold on to their best player Philippe Coutinho. Barcelona are said to be eyeing the Brazilian playmaker if Neymar moves to Paris St Germain.

Contrary to popular belief, Barnes doesn't feel that it is the end of the world if Liverpool lose the diminutive magician.

The 53-year-old said: "I think if we can keep him, we should.

"But, if a player wants to go, there's nothing you can do about it.

"Liverpool don't have a direct replacement for Coutinho but we don't have to (find one).

"We might not be able to play the same way because Coutinho is a special player, but that doesn't mean we can't be competitive."

Liverpool have reportedly had two mega bids turned down by Leipzig for Guinea midfielder Keita and are planning a third bid, but Barnes feels that the club should not be held to ransom.

He said: "Keita's very strong. He's a player we want, but at the right price. It's all up to Klopp."

On van Dijk, Barnes said: "He's a fantastic player and a leader. He would be a great acquisition to the squad.

"Liverpool will not go to Southampton to make a bid, but van Dijk is now having problems with Southampton.

"It's up to Southampton, but Liverpool does want van Dijk and will say yes to the opportunity to sign him."

Liverpool finished fourth last season and Barnes is tipping the Reds to be among the title challengers.

But, when asked if they can win their first league title since 1990, he said: "We're the best counter-attacking team in the country. Liverpool will challenge for a top-four spot, but not necessarily win the title.

"When we play against teams who don't attack - for example, West Brom and Crystal Palace - they sit back and defend and we don't have a presence in the box to get to the end of crosses.

"For me, Manchester City are the favourites with the squad they have."