Reason why Liverpool won't sign '£60m' star in January is clear

Palhinha, 28, was an instant star for Fulham last season in what was his first year in England after signing from Sporting Lisbon. He led the tackle charts with 147 which was 47 more than second-place and he is currently leading the charts once again this season.

The Reds were briefly linked in the summer when they had a focus on refreshing their midfield but they opted for younger, less expensive options such as Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo. Sky Germany's Florian Plettenburg has claimed that, as it stands, Liverpool are 'definitely not in the race' Palhinha and he isn't a target for the winter and he also wrote that Bayern Munich want to sign him, but he is considered too expensive and it's unclear what his future holds.

It's clear that the Portuguese international is in his prime at 28 and would be a player who could make an instant impact at a whole host of top clubs given his ability to anchor a midfield and screen and defend consistently. For Liverpool, they allowed Fabinho to leave who was their version of Palhinha and he gave Jurgen Klopp's side the foundation to be aggressive and push high up the pitch. Mac Allister has been the one to fill that roll so far this season as Klopp has opted for a more technical midfield which has been a risk but they've enjoyed success so far given their run of results.

However, there are some, such as Jamie Carragher, who believe they could go all out and sign someone like him in January to push for the title - but his age and price tag is something that goes against Liverpool's transfer policy. The only argument against that is the fact that they signed a 30-year-old Endo who seems destined to be a squad player rather than a starter. So if they could go against their age policy for the Japanese captain, why couldn't they for Palhinha in the summer?

He is clearly the superior player and has a stronger physical make-up and he is pushing for an exit and was available in the summer; the question is, if Liverpool go on to fall short of the title because of deficiencies in midfield will they regret it? Only time will tell, but they currently sit a point off leaders Arsenal and they are yet to hit top form which gives fans hope that they can go all the way once again.