3 La Liga stars Liverpool must consider - £69m man, ‘generational talent’ and £44m clause

Liverpool have enjoyed a strong start to the season, but they could do with more depth ahead of the second half of the campaign. The Reds are currently three points off top spot as they prepare to return from the international break, and they now go into a friendly run of fixtures.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have plenty to prove if they are going to be genuine title contenders, and they may well need to make more signings in January as they look to beef up a squad that does lack depth in key areas, including at the centre of defence and in midfield. With that in mind, we have put together a list of three La Liga players Liverpool should consider signing if they want to improve during the January window.

Yeremy Pino

Yeremy Pino, or Yeremy as he is more commonly known, is one of the brightest young stars in La Liga. At 20 years of age, he already has 93 league appearances for Villarreal, playing a key part in the Yellow Submarine’s Europa League title win and their run to the Champions League semi-final.

The young winger has also made 12 appearances for the Spain senior side, winning the Nations League with his national side and getting a call-up for last year’s World Cup. In terms of his play, Yeremy is dangerous on the ball. While he is not rapid, he does have plenty of pace, and his biggest strength is his positional ability. Yeremy is superb at getting in good positions offensively, and he is just as good defensively, making life that much easier for his full-back. Jurgen Klopp would appreciate the winger’s footballing intelligence and knowhow, and that’s only going to get better given his youth.

As for any possible deal, Yeremy is under a long contract at Villarreal, and his release clause is as high as £69.4million. Villarreal don’t need to sell this winter, given they sold three high-profile and high-price players in the summer, but there have been reports in Spain claiming that the Castellon club are preparing for life after Yeremy, given they may be an opportune time to sell.

Javi Guerra

A potential generational talent, Javi Gurra is the biggest shining light at Valencia right now as the famous old club continue to struggle through their ownership situation. The central midfielder is just 20 years of age, and he is a Spain under-21 international. He stands at 6ft2” and is dominant in midfield.

Guerra is looking like a complete midfielder, and he is completely both-footed. He scores from outside the box with both feet and delivers accurate long passes with both. He can play as a holding, central or advanced midfielder, and is one of the most exciting young talents in La Liga. Valencia will not want to sell any time soon, but a big offer may change their mind as they continue to navigate a difficult situation over their half-built stadium. The city of Valencia may force Los Ché to finish the stadium soon, potentially leaving owner Peter Lim searching for cash. Guerra’s release clause was recently pushed up to around £86million.

Robin Le Normand

Liverpool could do with more depth at centre-back, and that’s an expensive position to improve during the January transfer window, in particular. Robin Le Normand is one of the most underrated centre-backs in Europe right now having been superb for Real Sociedad over recent years.

He is 26 years of age and 6ft2”, but he is still plenty quick for a centre-back. Le Normand is a physical defender who loves staying tight to strikers and making it impossible for them to turn. If he is allowed to defend in close-quarters, the French-born Spain international is excellent, being a strong tackler and an intelligent player who reads the ball very well. He is also a neat passer of the ball.

Real Sociedad being in the Champions League makes things difficult for Liverpool, who are in the Europa League this season, but Le Normand does have a release clause of around £44million, making him gettable. He has previously been linked with a move to Arsenal.