Liverpool can use 27-year-old to shave £25million off Youri Tielemans asking price

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been tipped to join West Ham or Leicester this summer, with John Barnes saying the Foxes would be the best fit.

He told Betting Odds: “I think Leicester or West Ham. Leicester would probably be a bit better suited because they’re more stable than West Ham as they know that they will be in the top seven most seasons, which isn’t the case for West Ham.

“However if he wanted to go back down south then I think West Ham would be a good move for Alex too.”

If Liverpool were to sell to Leicester, it would be quite handy in negotiations for Youri Tielemans as it could help shave around £25million off the Belgian's valuation.

However, Anfield Central reported exclusively on the 3rd of June that despite a fresh approach from West Ham for the English midfielder, he is seen as a valuable member of Klopp's squad and barring injury setbacks, will play a role next season.

Interestingly, Chamberlain took up residence in Roberto Firmino's false nine role for the final 10 minutes of the 3-0 win over Burnley in May which saw him find the back of the net with a decent finish.

It would be fascinating to see the former Gunner regularly deployed in that role next term and while there's no way to tell now, it would remove the need to sign a centre-forward this summer.

That said, Liverpool need a no.9 that can score 15-20 goals a season and I highly doubt that Chamberlain is that player and that's before you even consider his injury history.

As a squad option in midfield, Chamberlain is fantastic but injuries have reduced his ability to regularly contribute and so he is way down the pecking order at Anfield - likely even lower down than Naby Keita.

Between Keita and Chamberlain, Liverpool are waiting for a return on around £87million but there is still time for both midfielders to come good at Anfield but it needs to happen fairly soon.

They both have two years remaining on their contracts with the club and Liverpool will not want to let them go for free in 2023 so a failure to deliver will likely see them sold at the end of the 2021/22 season.