Liverpool have been credited with an interest in free agent Ousmane Dembele recently and the Frenchman could be Jurgen Klopp's own version of Manchester City record-signing Jack Grealish should he make the move to Anfield.

Recent reports in Spain have linked Liverpool with the 25-year-old winger, who is available on a free transfer after his contract at Barcelona came to an end.

Injury problems disrupted Dembele's spell at the Nou Camp but he would still make 150 appearances in all competitions, contributing 32 goals and 34 assists.

Remarkably, 13 of those assists would come in just 21 La Liga appearances last season, as the former Borussia Dortmund man was revolutionised following the arrival of Xavi as manager.

The Spaniard was keen to keep Dembele at the club but Barcelona's financial restrictions played their part and he ended up departing, and Liverpool could be the beneficiaries, especially if he can consistently produce the form he showed last season.

FbRef suggests that Grealish is the ninth-most similar player to Dembele in world football, so Liverpool signing a free agent similar to someone who their title rivals landed for £100m would surely represent excellent value for money.

Despite featuring significantly less, Dembele outperformed Grealish in assists, dribbles and shots last season, while his shot-creating actions and assists per 90 were also far better than the England international.

WhoScored suggests that both Dembele and Grealish's strengths include passing, dribbling, playing key passes and holding onto the ball, so they are clearly very similar players, and Liverpool could be signing a real gem by bringing the Frenchman to Anfield.

They will undoubtedly face competition from Chelsea, as Thomas Tuchel is a huge fan of the winger having managed him at Dortmund, and the German manager was full of praise for Dembele when he joined from Rennes, saying:

"Ousmane is a player who brilliantly combines dribbling passing and making space to a very high level. That's extraordinary."

Therefore, Liverpool should definitely consider making an offer to Dembele, as he could be Klopp's own version of Grealish, without the stumbling block of a £100m transfer fee.

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