'Liverpool must splash the cash like Man Utd and Chelsea' - Aldridge

The ex-Reds striker is expecting there to be plenty of movement at Anfield over the summer, with it essential that Jurgen Klopp is backed with funds

Liverpool need “a fair few players” and will have to “splash the cash” this summer in order to keep pace with their Premier League rivals, says John Aldridge.

The Reds have seen the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea spend big of late in an effort to force their way into title contention.

N’Golo Kante and David Luiz have helped to push the Blues back to the front of that particular race, while the Red Devils broke the world transfer record last summer to acquire Paul Pogba.

United are now hot on Liverpool’s heels in the battle for a top-four finish, with Jurgen Klopp having resisted the urge to bolster his ranks during the January window.

Aldridge believes there will be no such holding back in the summer, with it vital that the Anfield board make the necessary funds available for a serious freshening up of the squad.

The former Reds striker wrote in a column for the Liverpool Echo: “We’re going to have to [spend like Chelsea and Manchester United].

“Come the summer we’ve got to splash the cash. If you look at the figures last summer, the outlay just more or less covered the funds raised from the players we sold, which is ridiculously fantastic.

“We’ve got a better squad with what Jurgen has brought in but next year if we’re in Europe we’re going to need a fair number of players.

“It’s not going to be tinkering with one or two, there’s going to have to be a few so the money has got to be made available absolutely.”

Aldridge believes a new striker should sit towards the top of Klopp’s wish list, with Liverpool in need of a proven frontman to lead the line.

He added: “We need an out-and-out goalscorer. Look across the Park at Romelu Lukaku. He doesn’t give you a lot outside the penalty box but hey he’s scored 16 goals. That’s exactly what we need.

“When we had four players all scoring it was great but you need your match-winner up front.

“I think we’ve got to find one. Daniel Sturridge is not going to do it because the manager is not playing him. We need to unearth a 20-goal-a-season man.”