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Liverpool may be European Champions, but that won't excuse the Reds from being subjected to the usual transfer gossip that does the rounds at this time of the year.

Indeed you can add the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Nicholas Pepe and Matthjis De Ligt to an ever-growing list of players linked with a move to Anfield year in, year out.

And it was inevitable that, before long, one name would return to the gossip columns as soon as May turned to June.

Step forward Nabil Fekir.

Like Marco Reus before him, Liverpool seem unable to shake Fekir, despite having moved on after the move broke down so dramatically last summer.

In truth, the Reds aren't interested in Fekir. They haven't been since they ended their pursuit of him last summer and that will not change.

And why should they be?

After all, the Reds have other priorities this summer. The plan isn't to spend big, like the did last year, but to fine tune a squad that accumulated 97 points in the Premier League before becoming six-time Champions of Europe.

Namely, a new goalkeeper to replace Simon Mignolet, who is expected to depart, a left-back and a versatile forward.

A midfielder is not believed to be on Jurgen Klopp's shopping list, and nor should it be.

Because without Fekir, Klopp still managed to polish that area of the pitch last season with the signings of Fabinho and Naby Keita. Between them, they revitalised and stabilised an often criticised area of Liverpool's team.

Both players took some time to adapt to life at Anfield, but they will feature heavily in Klopp's plans going forward.

Fabinho and Keita haven't yet had an impact over a full season at Liverpool, and 2019/20 could offer a glimpse of their full potential.

The duo also allowed Klopp's midfield to evolve, freeing up other players to effect other areas of the pitch and giving the Reds boss a huge amount of tactical flexibiilty.

And having identified Fekir for his ability to unlock defences from deeper positions, Klopp now has that in abundance.

The Reds boss has always maintained that his most effective creative force is his side's ability to press and force teams into making mistakes further up that pitch, and Keita does that better than most.

The Guinean was just coming into his own in the latter stages of the season, starting six of seven games throughout April and scoring three times. A groin injury curtailed his campaign but he's already nearing full fitness and will hope to pick up where he left off when August arrives.

Fabinho barely featured before the Autumn, but Klopp's patience paid off to see the Brazilian become a key man in the centre of midfield. Such was his impact that Fabinho remains the one constant in Klopp's midfield trio.

The Brazilian's arrival also freed up Jordan Henderson to move further up the pitch, and the captain ended up becoming an interesting option for Klopp later in the season, playing a big part in Liverpool's 4-0 victory over Barcelona from an advanced position.

Gini Wijnaldum tends to be Liverpool's most central midfielder, but the Dutchman also showed that he can be an option further forward with two goals against Barcelona and five in total for the season.

The evergreen James Milner is showing no signs of slowing down, and scored seven goals - as many as he's managed in a single season at Anfield.

There's also Adam Lallana to consider, who recent reiterated his desire to stay at Anfield and has been at Melwood over the summer working on his fitness.

And that's before we've even mentioned Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose offers Liverpool a genuine goal threat from distance, as well as the ability to run with the ball and force defenders to turn.

Xherdan Shaqiri can also operate in a central position if needed, with Klopp adopting a 4-5-1 at times last season to include the Swiss in his side.

It now appears as though Klopp has a midfield he can tailor to any opponent, one that offers a creative threat whether through pressing or guile, and one that doesn't need any tinkering with this summer.