Robbie Fowler believes Declan Rice would be the ideal midfield addition at Liverpool but admits Jurgen Klopp is unable to take the same risks as his Premier League rivals in the transfer market.
Rice has reportedly attracted the interest of clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United during his time in the West Ham United first team and the England international was a standout performer for David Moyes's side when they were narrowly beaten 1-0 at Anfield last week.
At the age of 23, Rice is approaching the ideal age for an all-action central midfielder, says Fowler, and the ex-striker believes the Hammers star would make for a great addition to the Anfield engine room as the club continue to privately assess the merits of a host of midfielders across the continent.
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With Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all out of contract next summer and Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara well into their 30s, Klopp and sporting director Julian Ward will almost certainly be looking to bolster the midfield ranks ahead of next season.
Liverpool have a long-standing interest in Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham and missed out on Aurelien Tchouameni when the France international chose to join Real Madrid earlier this year, but Rice is the ideal candidate, according to the legendary Fowler.
"The Bellingham link is brilliant because he's a very good player," Fowler told FairBettingSites. "Another player who I really like is Declan Rice, he fits into a Liverpool mould.
"Whether Liverpool are looking at players to come in, they have to have a certain amount of pedigree, those players need to have lots of energy. And I do think Rice fits that bill, he's a player who sits in the middle of the park but he can get around the pitch with his endeavour as well.
"Rice is a player I'd like Liverpool to sign, not to be disrespectful to West Ham, but Rice will be a name on the top of many top teams' lists whether that's in the summer or January. Rice has been class for a few years now and you can see why clubs want him, but for me, he fits the mould of a Liverpool player."
Fowler added: "In football, you can go out there and buy the best players, but not all of them work out and every player that comes into a club is a gamble. What you have with Liverpool and many clubs, they can't really afford to take that gamble like Man City can do because of the money. Of course I want Liverpool to sign players and hit the ground running, but it doesn't always happen.
"Liverpool have signed Darwin Nunez, don't get me wrong he's a fantastic player, he really is, but he hasn't hit the ground running, not yet. It might be due to him not getting a good run of games, Nunez has started a few then missed out with little niggles, he's not had the momentum. You got the young lads like Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott who are great players, we know that, but Liverpool needs those players in certain positions.
"At Man City, they're signing players who then become near-perfect straight away. Liverpool's recruitment is massively important and they do need to come in and hit the ground running. I've always had a theory that in football if you're not signing players, you're not standing still you're going backwards. Because other teams around your position who are signing players and going forwards are leaving you behind.
"In terms of certain areas, every club should be looking to improve every area because new signings can drive players in those positions to improve and get better. I want Liverpool to develop that squad and win games."
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