Use your head like Sadio and subscribe to the Liverpool FC newsletter Sign me up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Former Liverpool captain Phil Thompson has urged Jurgen Klopp to break the bank to sign Harry Maguire this summer.

The Leicester City centre-back has been one of the standout performers in England's march to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Russia.

Thompson believes Maguire would be the perfect fit for Klopp's style of play and insists a £50million price tag wouldn't put him off.

“I've been a big fan of Harry Maguire since his days at Hull City,” Thompson told the ECHO.

“Since then he's got better and better. He's had a fantastic World Cup so far.

“I was saying long before the tournament started that he has all the attributes needed to be a Liverpool player.

“He's big, he's strong and positionally he's very good whether as a two or a three at the back.

“He's a lot quicker than people give him credit for. He dominates in the air and that's a major asset both defensively and offensively.

“He's also very comfortable on the ball. He's better than John Stones when it comes to passing it out from the back.

“Harry has been one of the best defenders in the World Cup and he certainly fits Liverpool's philosophy. I can't speak more highly of him.

“No disrespect to Leicester but I can't see him being there come the end of the transfer window. I think he would have been £50million before the World Cup and probably a bit more now. But I think he would be worth it.

“Big clubs will be after him and I'd like to think that Liverpool would be at the forefront.”

Thompson, one of the finest centre-backs in Liverpool's history, believes Maguire would be the ideal partner for club record signing Virgil van Dijk.

The 6ft 4ins 25-year-old, who started his career at Sheffield United, joined Leicester City from Hull in a £17million deal last summer.

“It's hard saying it because Dejan Lovren had a pretty good season but I do think it's an area where we have struggled for a while,” Thompson added.

“Harry would be an upgrade. He's like an English version of Van Dijk.

“Harry is probably even more physical than Van Dijk which is another plus and I'd see them as a great combination. He would give us that extra solidity back there.

“It would be another statement. They would be our centre-back combination for years to come.”

Klopp has bolstered his midfield ranks with the signings of Naby Keita and Fabinho but Thompson is hoping for more action in the transfer market over the coming weeks.

“I like the look of Keita. He will give us more goals from that area and he's a nark – I think we need a bit of that,” he said.

“I still think the Nabil Fekir transfer could happen. The deal could get restructured after the World Cup in a way that fits all parties.

“I also hope that Jurgen is looking for an upgrade on the keeper situation. Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet are good keepers but are they top quality? Are they in the same bracket as Thibaut Courtois and David de Gea? The honest answer is no.”