Neymar is currently out injured for Paris Saint-Germain and pundit Darren Bent claims Jurgen Klopp would not want to sign the player for Liverpool
Former Premier League striker Darren Bent has suggested that Jurgen Klopp would not want Neymar at Liverpool.
The Brazilian is currently suffering from an ankle injury which will leave him sidelined for the remainder of the season. Neymar recently missed Paris Saint-Germain’s defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League
Reports last month sensationally claimed that Liverpool could make a move to sign Neymar at the end of the season. The 31-year-old is under contract at the French capital until 2025, and has been with PSG since his £200m move from Barcelona in 2017.
Now Bent has spoken about the future and quality of Neymar. The former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa striker reckons that Klopp would rather have his current forward options than have Neymar added to his ranks.
“He’s [Neymar] a world class player but I’m looking at Jurgen Klopp’s perspective,” Bent told Talksport.
“And looking at that front three and he’s probably thinking ‘I like the front three I’ve got. They’re organised, they work hard, they score goals. Hmm, probably not’.”
Liverpool currently have Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo as their main forward options. Diaz has been sidelined with a knee injury since October, while Firmino is set to leave Anfield at the end of the season as a free agent.
Jamie Carragher sends Kylian Mbappe blunt transfer message after PSG Champions League exit
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has advised Kylian Mbappe to leave Paris Saint-Germain after they were dumped out of the Champions League knockout stages once again.
PSG boss Christophe Galtier, who is facing intense pressure to keep his job from sections of the club’s fanbase, was unable to guide his side into the quarter-finals of the competition as they were defeated 2-0 at Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. Second-half goals from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry added to Kingsley Coman’s strike in the first leg at the Parc des Princes three weeks ago to ensure the Parisians’ hunt for a first European Cup continues for at least another season.
Although without Neymar Jr, who is set to miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury, Mbappe struggled to lead the frontline as Dayot Upamecano and Matthijs de Ligt restricted PSG to just four shots on target over the course of the 90 minutes.
For the French champions, it means apart from their final and semi-final appearances in 2020 and 2021, they have been eliminated in the Champions League’s first knockout round in five of the last seven seasons, with their latest failure coming at the delight of Carragher.
The former Liverpool vice-captain believes the whole set-up at PSG is a “mess” and Mbappe, who has long been linked with a move to Anfield, should look to leave during the summer despite penning a new contract last summer.
“I mean, to be honest, I’m delighted Paris Saint-Germain have gone out, I am,” said Carragher, speaking on CBS’ Champions League coverage. “I just don’t like the whole set-up, everything about it. It’s not a team. It’s just a mess.
“Five years out of seven they have gone out at the last-16. They spend more money than anyone, they’ve got the best players in the world. It’s brilliant because it just tells you how important it is to be a team.
“I think that’s really important in football. We love individuals within a team and that’s not a team. But honestly, Kylian Mbappe has got to leave that club.”
Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane came off the bench for Bayern in the 2-0 second-leg win over PSG as they progressed to the quarter-finals. Benfica, Chelsea and AC Milan have also successfully navigated their way past the round-of-16 stage this week.
Liverpool face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu next week, where Jurgen Klopp’s side will attempt to overturn their 5-2 defeat from the first leg at Anfield.