Liverpool Transfer News: Absence of Luis Suarez Will Keep Dirk Kuyt with Reds

With Dutch winger Dirk Kuyt on the outs with Liverpool, it continues to be rumored that he could be on the move during the January transfer window. Seeing as forward Luis Suarez is serving an eight-game suspension due to racial abuse, the Reds should hold onto Kuyt.

According to Metro, Turkish power Galatasaray is willing to offer Liverpool £10 million for Kuyt's services. While the move may have made sense for Liverpool prior to Suarez's suspension, Kuyt could most definitely come in handy now as a striker.

Kuyt hasn't been a striker in quite some time, but he did begin his career as one, so he could effectively fill the void in the short term at least.

He has scored double-digits goals in a season on three occasions for the Reds, so he has proven that he can have some success in an expanded role.

While Liverpool may be able to survive without Suarez and Kuyt for a short period of time, every game is of the utmost importance for the Reds right now.

Liverpool is currently in sixth place in the English Premier League. They currently wouldn't qualify for the Europa League or the Champions League at the moment.

Eight games can seem like an eternity in soccer. The Reds would be best off not playing at less than full strength.

If there was absolutely no use for Kuyt and he was simply rotting on Liverpool's bench, then I could see why it would be advantageous to send him to Turkey for £10 million.

Ultimately, I believe that Kuyt is criminally underused in the first place, though, and this is his time to prove that he can be a major contributor in the starting XI.

Kuyt simply wants to get playing time as the European Championships are on the horizon, but if he continues to play a minor role for the Reds, then his role for the Netherlands could be diminished.

Kuyt himself may be in favor of the move to Turkey, but the Reds have to do what's best for them. There's no point in allowing a solid, honest player like Kuyt to sit on the bench when a hole has opened up in the lineup.

If Liverpool's brass is smart it will see what Kuyt can do in the starting lineup, and if things don't improve over the next few games, then Kuyt can always be moved to Turkey near the end of the transfer window.