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Liverpool would be wise to consider the re-signing of a former star this summer, with the deal in the best interests of all parties, according to Stan Collymore.

The Reds already have the League Cup in the bag and this week hope to cement their place in the last eight of the Champions League. Indeed, Jurgen Klopp’s side will be among the favourites to lift the trophy for a seventh time later this year. And Liverpool also remain alive in the title race and are also through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Indeed, the Reds will likely go head to head with Manchester City for at least one of those trophies. To that end, Pep Guardiola has called Liverpool  the “toughest opponent I have ever faced in my 12-13 years as a manager”.

They go into the business end of the season in rude health. The January signing of Luis Diaz has reinvigorated their attack as they seek a strong finish.

The Colombian looks to be another shrewd signing by the Reds and, possibly, the final addition of Michael Edwards’ reign.

The sporting director will leave his Kirkby headquarters at the end of the season, handing over the job to his assistant Julian Ward.

And now Collymore is urging Ward to make the signing of former midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum his No 1 priority.

Wijnaldum left Liverpool as a free agent last summer, after his Anfield deal expired.

However, his move to PSG has not worked out as planned. Indeed, Wijnaldum has played in a variety of positions under Mauricio Pochettino, having a hard time in finding his best form.

Monday’s papers linked Wijnaldum with a summer move to Aston Villa.

However, Wijnaldum claims Liverpool would be wise to bring him back to Merseyside.

“Wijnaldum is having a proper wobbler at Paris Saint-Germain,” Collymore told the Daily Mirror. “Despite the fact he’s earning a king’s ransom, if I were Jurgen Klopp I’d chance my arm with a cheeky low-ball offer to try to get him back to Liverpool.

Collymore says Wijnaldum can teach youngsters

“He’s 32 in November, the same age as Jordan Henderson and four years younger than James Milner. He’d be a great player for the youngsters at Anfield such as Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones to learn from, too.

“I’m not usually a fan of going back but if there’s a cheap deal to be done, my old club could still be getting a proper, top-level performer.

“If Liverpool are serious then having Milner, Henderson and Wijnaldum around that midfield for another 12 or 24 months could not only help Jones and Elliott but it would also crucially get an extra body into the area as well.

“He knows the way they play, he knows the manager well, he knows the dressing-room well, and if PSG would say, ‘Look, we’ll get him off the wage bill for free or even £5million or £8m’, you’d take him.

“He’s generally a good pro, he doesn’t create problems.”

Huge benefits to Gini return

Some Liverpool fans would question the wisdom in spending millions to re-sign a player they allowed to walk away. However, Collymore is adamant his return would only be a positive.

Collymore added: “I know some Liverpool fans were miffed that he decided to go for the dough. But if you’re looking around and saying, ‘Shall we get a 25-year-old or 26-year-old midfielder for £15m to £20m who we’ll have to teach to play the Liverpool way or someone who will slot back in at a snip?’, then it’s an absolute no-brainer.

“Wijnaldum will be very motivated and wanting to play. He will want to be involved with the Dutch at the World Cup later this year.

“He knows the system, the manager, the other midfielders. He’s hand in glove, and I say, ‘Take him’.

“He’s unhappy in Paris despite earning a shedload of money. And he might just fancy swallowing a little pride in getting himself back to Merseyside.”

READ MORE: ‘I know what he means’ – Klopp responds to Guardiola over Liverpool statement

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