Liverpool’s need for a midfielder this season has been badly exposed by their lack of investment in the summer transfer window and various injuries to key players during the campaign so far.

There were hopes the Anfield side could sign a high-class midfielder in the summer, with Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni linked with a move to Merseyside, however with Bellingham remaining with Borussia Dortmund and the Frenchman signing for Real Madrid, Jurgen Klopp had to settle for Arthur Melo on deadline day.

It was hardly an exciting move and with the January transfer window fast approaching, Klopp might just be able to make amends by securing the signing of Youri Tielemans.

Journalist Paul Brown recently spoke to GIVEMESPORT about the midfielder and regarding Liverpool’s interest: “A dark horse to watch out for here is Liverpool. I would not be surprised at all if we saw Liverpool make a move for Tielemans as a free agent.”

The Anfield supporters might forget all about Bellingham if they manage to land the Belgian, especially considering Brendan Rodgers dubbed him as “one of Europe’s top midfielders” and Klopp could certainly utilise his talents in his stagnant midfield.

Tielemans has received a SofaScore rating of 7.21 for his performances this season in the Premier League, ranking him second in the Leicester City squad, while he has also chipped in with four goal contributions, created a further five big chances, and played 1.2 key passes per match.

In those final two metrics, the Belgian maestro just so happens to be better than the English sensation, albeit only slightly, with Bellingham creating five big chances and carving out 1.1 key passes a game.

Liverpool, of course, face competition for the player from Arsenal, who have been heavily linked with the 25-year-old since the beginning of the year, and it could well be a straight shootout between the two English clubs with regard to who signs him.

His contract expires at the end of this season and although Rodgers doesn’t want to sell in January, if a bid arrives that is simply too good to turn down, his hand may be forced.

With the form of the two respective sides being totally different this season, it appears Arsenal may be in the driving seat. That doesn’t mean Klopp will be waiting patiently however and with the German urgently requiring a rejuvenation of his sides engine room, Tielemans could well be an ideal signing if Bellingham proves too costly and out of reach.