Wolves defender Romain Saiss randomly 'linked' with Liverpool move

Versatile Wolves defender Romain Saiss has become the latest player touted to solve Liverpool's centre-back crisis, but the evidence suggesting the Reds will move for the Moroccan before Monday's deadline is flimsy at best.

The rumour seems to have stemmed from fan chatter on Twitter, which also suggests Divock Origi could go on loan in the other direction.

It has been picked up and spread across the internet by the Liverpool Echo, whose carefully worded report frames it like a deal that could happen before the transfer deadline.

The only evidence given is that Saiss has been left out of Wolves' last two matches - the same treatment that was given to Diogo Jota before his move to Liverpool in the summer.

The Echo acknowledge themselves that it's a little far fetched, noting that the rumour arose from the 'conspiracists among us,' but that hasn't stopped them attempting to tie the two transfers together while fanning the flames of a rumour that has literally no substance beyond someone's best guess.

We are yet to hear of genuine interest from a reliable transfer source. Even the Echo take it with a pinch of salt, keeping it at arm's length with some vague wording, and until now there has been nothing to suggest Liverpool see Saiss as a player capable of filling in for Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez throughout the second half of the season.

He is out of contract in six months and would likely be available on the cheap, but if anything that counters the argument that Liverpool could use Origi as a pawn in a potential deal - they likely see the Belgian, signed up until 2024, as a far more valuable asset than the 30-year-old Saiss.

One thing everyone can agree on is that Liverpool are under pressure to sign a new defender before the window closes on Monday. We've seen a number of names linked, ranging from USA defender Aaron Long to Juventus' Merih Demiral, but Jurgen Klopp maintains a deal will only be struck if it makes long-term and financial sense - and those deals are hard to come by in the January window.

Saiss may make financial sense, but long-term? We can probably rule it out.