Liverpool has been linked with a move for a Barcelona forward as the Camp Nou club looks to raise finances to sign Joao Félix. But the reality should be plain for Jürgen Klopp.

Barcelona won La Liga last season despite its excessive expenditures and high-risk economic levers. Xavi steered the Spanish behemoth back in the right path after spending money it didn’t have.

Barcelona is now fourth in the league after a Saturday draw with Rayo Vallecano, three points behind Girona despite having played one more game. Things aren’t moving as smoothly as they should given the magnitude of the gamble — which will only work if there is a time of consistent success.

Raphinha is one of the players in whom Barcelona has placed its trust after spending $71 million (£56 million/€65 million) to sign him from Leeds United. Also, one of the players mentioned as a possible Mohamed Salah replacement, there is a chance he will be ready shortly.

Last season, Xavi saw a lot of Raphinha. He was a significant player for Barcelona, providing 14 goals and assists in 25 league appearances as the club won the league title, but things have changed since then. Football Insider believes that the 26-year-old is being sold in order to raise finances to recruit Joo Félix and Joo Cancelo. He has only made three league starts this year, and one of them was a red card.

Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle are rumored to be interested in the left-footed right winger, with a fee of $50 million (£40 million/€46 million) proposed. While there is something to think about, there is a lot more evidence that the Reds are no longer interested.

Raphinha, who will be 27 in a few weeks, is perhaps at the wrong end of the age spectrum that Liverpool would normally want. More importantly, Liverpool does not require a Salah replacement at this time.

When the time comes, Liverpool will need to find a left-footed replacement for Salah, but that person must have a superior scoring record than the Brazilian. Even if Raphinha was the appropriate person for the job, that time has not come.

Salah has been one of Liverpool’s most important players this season, and he has shown that he is not ready to leave the top flight. Even if he were to regress slightly, Salah would still be a better player than practically everyone else in the world in his position.

Given that Barcelona needs to sell and Liverpool has already been linked with Raphinha, expect the ties to continue. However, Jürgen Klopp’s prospects of being truly interested these days are limited.