Liverpool fans disagree with Southgate over midfielder – ‘Offers absolutely nothing’

England: Declan Rice and Ben Chilwell show skills in training

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As rumours begin to surface about Declan Rice attracting the interest of Liverpool, many fans are not amused. Despite earning high praise from England boss Gareth Southgate, other midfield targets seem to be more popular options for the Anfield faithful.

With pre-season lurking just around the corner for non-international players, managers will undoubtedly quicken the pace of their planning for the upcoming season.

For Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, there is still a Gini Wijnaldum-shaped void in their midfield after the Dutchman joined PSG on a free transfer.

Of the names mentioned, links with Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini have gone quiet, Florian Neuhaus has been flirting with a move for what seems like an eternity and Youri Tielemans still feels like more of an aspiration for the Reds.

According to Eurosport, Rice is the next name on the list.

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Since making his England debut in 2019, the 22-year-old has become one of the first names on the team sheet, racking up 20 caps in the process.

Southgate has heaped praise on the midfield destroyer, saying: “He’s a fantastic player to work with and he really wants to learn and to improve.

“To be captain of his club at such a young age tells you all you need to know really about his personality and his character.”

Despite this, many Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to voice their anger towards the links, with one fan claiming Rice is no more than ‘a poor version of Glen Whelan’.

Another fan said: “No chance. Absolutely no value there. We could get someone just as good for half the price West Ham would want.”

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The youngster has certainly been attracting more attention than he is due if that was the case, with Chelsea showing a long-term interest in the £60million-rated star.

If Rice was to slip through Chelsea’s grasp and pick Anfield instead, it would heap yet more pressure on transfer chief Marina Granovskaia who saw Achraf Hakimi snub Stamford Bridge for PSG earlier this week.

With Chelsea running out of targets, more emphasis would then be placed on the signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.

Without doubt, landing the Norwegian would be the signing of the summer, but he would command an astronomical fee in the region of £150m.

Despite Rice’s negative perception by some Liverpool fans, he has impressively worked his way up to the West Ham captaincy by his early twenties.

He has also transitioned seamlessly from a centre-back to a central-midfield player, with his progressive passing and technical ability on the ball improving with every passing game.

The England star may yet stay in east London, but if he does decide it’s time for a new challenge there will be no shortage of potential destinations.

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