Liverpool Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Javier Pastore and Danny Ings

Liverpool are reportedly interested in Paris Saint-Germain forward Javier Pastore, as the Argentina international looks surplus to requirements at Parc des Princes.

However, the Reds attacking options have received a boost with the news striker Danny Ings wants to stay at the Anfield club beyond the January transfer window.

Ings can be a useful player in manager Jurgen Klopp's squad, but landing Pastore would be a coup for the Reds. The 28-year-old is on Liverpool's radar, according to El Gol Digital (h/t Paul Gorst of the Liverpool Echo).

Gorst noted how difficult Pastore is likely to find getting game time this season given Les Parisiens' embarrassment of riches in attacking areas: "The Argentina playmaker is down the pecking order at Parc des Princes, with Unai Emery in the enviable position of being able to field the likes of Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappe, Julian Draxler and, of course, Neymar."

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Pastore has all the qualities Klopp would value along Liverpool's fluid forward line. He is an attacker whose game is all about flair and ingenuity.

Classy touches, clever flicks and astute vision are common from Pastore in the final third. All of those attributes would find a natural home in a Liverpool side built to attack at pace with rapid transitions, creativity and free-flowing movement between the lines.

Pastore is a natural fit for all those things, with his versatility a major plus for Klopp's squad. The Reds don't often play with a natural centre-forward; instead, Roberto Firmino and wide players Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah take turns rotating through the middle.

Pastore can operate on either flank, through the middle or just behind a striker. He is ideally suited to the fluid way Liverpool go forward.

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Ironically, Ings is also a forward whose core qualities fit the Klopp blueprint. He can play as a striker or as an attacking midfielder, yet the 25-year-old has endured an injury nightmare since moving to Merseyside from Burnley in 2015, with a torn ACL stunting his Liverpool career.

Knee injuries have kept him out for the best part of two years, but Ings says he still thinks he can make the grade at Anfield, per The Times (h/t Nick Lustig of Sky Sports): "People from the outside looking in will probably have the assumption, 'Oh, he's the forgotten man' but it has not crossed my mind at all. I still believe in myself. I still believe I can play in this team."

Ings should still have a future with Liverpool due to the paucity of options at striker. Firmino is not a natural centre-forward, while Daniel Sturridge has also had his injury problems and struggled to convince Klopp of his worth.

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Divock Origi is on a season-long loan at Bundesliga club Wolfsburg, but he recently told Gary Cotterill of Sky Sports News he also intends to make a go of his Liverpool career next season: "A one-year deal. For me it's one year. If you want more, then ask Liverpool, but for what I know, it's one year."

Ings staying would offer the Reds a boost in the short term, but signing Pastore would significantly strengthen what is already one of the most dynamic forward lines in the Premier League.