Virgil van Dijk and Ben Davies don’t have much in common when it comes to their respective careers at Liverpool, but they do share one important trait. The two were brought to the club by FSG during the January transfer window.

This pair of center-backs may seem totally out of place when it comes to discussing a potential future move for a target striker, but in fact Van Dijk and Davies reveal an important facet of the FSG’s modus operandi. The owners have their principles and long-term plans in Liverpool, but there is always room for pragmatism. A fuss charge and injury crisis prompted Jürgen Klopp to tap into the sub-optimal January market, and now Barcelona’s antics could push him to do so once again.

What exactly is wrong with January? The main problem is that value is hard to find – these words are anathema to the FSG model. Clubs naturally do not want to lose significant assets mid-season and therefore charge a premium. Other teams simply adamantly refuse to sell, which means the potential signature pool is drastically reduced. Essentially, compromises have to be made on any deal. However, as far as Karim Adeyemi is concerned, Liverpool could be on the verge of having their hand forced.

Adeyemi has been constantly linked with Liverpool. A Red Bull Salzburg forward, he certainly seems to tick a lot of the boxes. He’s young, which suits the FSG perfectly as they try to refresh the frontline. He is prolific, scoring 11 goals in 13 league appearances to date and impressive in the Champions League. He is from the Red Bull group, where Liverpool have often done their shopping before; similar football philosophies increase the chances that Adeyemi can fit into a Klopp system.

Unfortunately, Xavi also got it into his head that the German could fit into a Barcelona system. L’Express claim a deal to bring the striker to Camp Nou is “closed” with the Catalans willing to shell out £ 31million to sign the 19-year-old.

The former midfielder inherited a complete mess when he took the reins at his former club, and the board will no doubt want to give him the chance to shape the squad in his image as soon as possible. It’s easier said than done, with money so tight – that’s why Barcelona found themselves in such a mess in the first place. However, just as the club managed to muster the sizable funds needed to hire Xavi and sack Ronald Koeman, they might be able to bring up Adeyemi money from somewhere.

Once the change is made, a move to Liverpool will quickly start to sound like a pipe dream. Erling Haaland should be an edifying tale: he left Red Bull Salzburg and quickly took the Bundesliga by storm, and a relative deal quickly became unattainable. Adeyemi isn’t Haaland, and the fact that the two have shared a club shouldn’t be too relevant, but it does illustrate that limited transfer funds mean FSG needs to act earlier in the ascent of a player towards greatness.

With that comes a greater risk, of course – Donyell Malen’s struggles at Borussia Dortmund underscore the flip side. However, at £ 31million it wouldn’t be the biggest bet FSG has ever taken. Still a teenager, Adeyemi would not be lost to sight even if he struggled to succeed at Anfield; there would be a lot of suitors willing to bet on a transfer later if things didn’t work out. Conversely, the increase is enormous.

Already capped by Germany and at home in European matches, there is growing evidence that Adeyemi is ready for a major breakthrough. If Liverpool don’t offer it to him in January, another club will beat them in the fist – maybe Barcelona, ​​maybe someone else. The FSG is right to avoid the New Years transfer melee as a rule, but it could well be another exceptional case.