Pep Guardiola has already given Liverpool two reasons why they should sign James Ward-Prowse

Alexis Mac Allister might already be signed, sealed and delivered. Yet that’s not going to stop the Liverpool transfer rumours to continue to rage.

While the Reds moved early to secure the services Mac Allister from Brighton, their business is far from done. A busy summer transfer window is expected, with midfield the obvious area that requires strengthening.

Mac Allister fills one void that has been left. But Liverpool are still short of both quantity and quality in the engine room if they’re to challenge for silverware in the 2023-24 season. It’s why a plethora of midfielders have been linked with moves to Anfield.

In truth, it’s hard to keep up with the names that continue to be reported. Nice’s Khephren Thuram and Manu Kone of Borussia Monchengladbach are seemingly the Reds’ two main targets, as things stand. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch and Romeo Lavia of Southampton are another pair who Jurgen Klopp supposedly courts.

And the latest name is another who currently plies his trade at the relegated Saints. James Ward-Prowse has spent his entire career at St Mary’s. He’s become synonymous with the south-coast side over the past decade and has been a talismanic figure. Yet the Southampton captain has a big decision on his hands when it comes to his future.

It’s expected that Ward-Prowse will depart his boyhood club after they were demoted to the Championship. An exit seems inevitable for a player who has almost 350 Premier League appearances and 11 England caps to his name. Helping Southampton return to the top flight may not be enough to keep him at the club.

There might be Kopites out there who haven’t watched too much of Ward-Prowse down the years - but will be all too aware of one of his key talents.

The 28-year-old's set-piece prowess is among the very best. His corners are frequently delivered into dangerous areas. And his free-kicks are marksman-like.

Ward-Prowse has scored 17 of them in the Premier League - placing him one behind David Beckham's all-time record. Should the Portsmouth-born midfielder remain in England's top flight then surpassing Beckham is almost certain.

Pep Guardiola has an excellent free-kick taker at Manchester City in Kevin De Bruyne. However, even despite the Belgium international helping spearhead City to a historic treble this season, Guardiola puts De Bruyne's dead-ball ability even second to Ward-Prowse.

"There is no better taker," said Guardiola before City's Carabao Cup loss to Southampton last January. "Southampton have the best free-kick taker I have ever seen, or at least he is in the world right now."

Ward-Prowse’s aptitude for scoring free-kicks means that he has perhaps been pigeonholed as only excelling in that aspect of his game. Comparisons, in many ways, have been akin to a kicker in the NFL whose sole remit is to score from field goals or extra points.

However, someone as astute as Guardiola is well aware that Ward-Prowse has more in his locker than just getting the ball up and over a wall.

He added: "He is so good that maybe you miss a little bit of the footballer player. He is a team player of great quality, without the ball and with the ball.

"He really understands the game but it is his free-kicks, set-pieces, and corners that people pay more attention to."

Klopp is all too aware that he needs to get his recruitment right in the transfer window. After Liverpool’s lacklustre season that saw them surrender a Champions League place, there’s scant time for a slow rebuild. Anyone who arrives at Anfield needs to adapt swiftly and make an immediate impact.

Perhaps Ward-Prowse isn’t the most glamorous name that supporters are hoping for. Aged 28, it certainly would go against owners Fenway Sports Group’s policy of signing players who have still to hit their peak. Certainly, the reported price tag of £50 million that Southampton have slapped on their skipper’s head would be baulked at. But if Liverpool were to sign Ward-Prowse for a reasonable price then Guardiola may just take note.