Arne Slot told one Liverpool transfer who could win him the Champions League

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes have been advised to sign a number six to give the Reds an even better chance of winning the Champions League — though Owen Hargreaves says the Anfield side could secure a seventh European Cup this season regardless.

" Liverpool are for real," the TNT Sports pundit told the Daily Mirror ahead of the Reds' trip to play AC Milan this week. "Let's be honest, anybody not putting them in the mix is lazy. They have Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk : two of the best in the business.

"Trent is Trent, a walking assist and I love Ibou Konate and Andy Robertson. It's almost a perfect back five. Then there's Alexis Mac Allister and the front six of Mohamed Salah , Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez , Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa . Wow."

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Liverpool did try and sign a holding midfielder when it moved for Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi during the summer. When that move fell through, though, with the 25-year-old opting to stay with his boyhood club, the Reds did not pursue an alternative.

" Ryan Gravenberch has been exceptional but I still think they need one defensive midfielder," Hargreaves continued. "Maybe a Joao Palhinha type midfielder who can get them through them one-off games.

"They won't need it in every game just because of their style and the fact they will dominate teams. But when you play a Real Madrid or Manchester City, you need to get the ball back too and those kinds of players are perfect for those matches."

Liverpool.com says: Palhinha is a good tackler and he makes a team solid but Zubimendi wouldn't have been that kind of player for Liverpool. Primarily, he is someone who starts attacks and helps with building through the thirds.

The Reds do need another midfielder to come in but the exact profile is still to become clear. Ideally, a number six would be found, but that has been the case for a while now and yet nobody in the elite bracket has come in since Fabinho .