Liverpool are crying out for a Philippe Coutinho replacement in the centre of midfield.

Jurgen Klopp opted to not sign a replacement for the Brazilian in the summer window and instead trusted his current crop of midfielders to provide ammunition for Liverpool’s forward three. James Milner and Gini Wijnaldum both made excellent starts to the season, but their dip in form has seen Liverpool win just three of their last nine games. With Adam Lallana showing he is no longer at the standard required to play for Liverpool, Klopp must revisit signing a playmaker again.

The German made Lyon’s Nabil Fekir his number one target in the summer window, and everything was in place for the maestro to become a Liverpool player. Despite conducting an interview with LFCTV, the move collapsed following a medical. Liverpool were unwilling to proceed under the current terms after concerns were raised over Fekir’s knee and the Reds seem unlikely to revive their interest in January. Reports suggest that Fekir will reject a new deal with the French side which has put Chelsea on red alert.

Allowing a Premier League rival to land a player of Fekir’s calibre would be a massive blow to the Merseysiders. Valued at £58.5m by Transfermarkt, the 25-year-old is the perfect addition to Liverpool’s midfield and would help bring back to the creativity that Coutinho offered to the side. With the ability to unlock a defence with his fantastic range of passing, Fekir also has an eye for goal that would help Klopp’s side rediscover their spark in front of goal.

Fekir can play as the number ten, the central striker or on the wing which will have undoubtedly attracted Klopp in the summer. With his deal running down at the Ligue 1 side, negotiations would be much easier than earlier this year, and Liverpool shouldn’t have too much trouble restructuring the deal to suit their needs.

The World Cup winner should still be their number one priority when the window reopens.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?