Klopp eyes Draxler

According to a report in the Express, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has identified the perfect replacement for the departed Philippe Coutinho in Paris Saint-Germain’s Julian Draxler.

Since his arrival at the club, Draxler has been mostly out of the starting XI, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe preferred on the wings, and the likes of Marco Veratti, Adrian Rabiot and Thiago Motta ahead of him in midfield. Former Real Madrid and Manchester United player Angel Di Maria also represents strong competition for either role.

In the absence of Neymar, who recently underwent surgery in Brazil and is likely to miss the rest of the season, Draxler has been getting some valuable game-time, but he will be aware that things are likely to change once more once the world’s most expensive player returns to contention.

It’s difficult to say what exactly “replacing Coutinho at Liverpool” would mean at this point. Klopp’s team have struggled occasionally to break down defense-minded teams, and the creativity of their former playmaker has been felt at the Liberty Stadium and more notably at Old Trafford last weekend, but it is questionable to say the least whether Draxler would be able to fill that void. On the other hand, adding some depth to this Liverpool team would certainly make sense.