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Why Liverpool are better off staying away from this £40m-rated Championship starlet

According to reports, Liverpool have entered the race to sign Aston Villa ace Jack Grealish, who is also on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Leicester City.

Cash-strapped Aston Villa, who are in huge financial crisis after failing to earn promotion back to the Premier League last season, face the prospect of selling their key players in the summer to balance the books. And Grealish, who is rated by the club at £40m, has been heavily linked with leaving Villa Park.

Grealish enjoyed an impressive 2017/18 season, scoring three goals and providing six assists in 30 league appearances as Aston Villa reached the Championship play-off final, only to lose at the hands of Fulham at Wembley last month.

The former England under-21 international’s promising performances have understandably attracted interest from a host of Premier League clubs, including Liverpool. But do the Reds really need Grealish?

Grealish’s three goals and six assists in the league last season doesn’t really justify his talent. He is much more than that as the 22-year-old had a huge impact on games and practically carried Villa at times. Grealish was Villa’s main attacking threat, the creative hub, who produced things out of nothing for the Championship outfit.

But looking at the current Liverpool squad it is difficult to explain where Grealish will fit in at Anfield. The Reds signed Fabinho from AS Monaco last month to bolster their midfield options, while Naby Keita is set to arrive at the end of the month from RB Leipzig.

Other than Fabinho and Keita, Jurgen Klopp already has Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield, with Emre Can leaving the club to join Juventus.

While Can’s departure would create a hole in midfield, Klopp should not consider signing Grealish to fill it. Can and Grealish are completely different kind of players; so signing the Aston Villa starlet doesn’t make any sense for the Reds.

However, Grealish is a versatile player, who is capable of playing in central midfield as well as on either of the wing. But the presence of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah on the wings suggest that  Grealish would struggle to get regular game time under Klopp at Liverpool.

At 22, the midfielder would be willing to play regularly to unlock his true potential but at Anfield, he is unlikely to receive regular chances.

While Grealish is a sublime talent, Klopp shouldn’t go for him as a move to Merseyside would actually stunt the player’s growth. And for Grealish, he should consider snubbing Liverpool in favour of a club where he would receive regular game time.

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