Liverpool Transfer News: Ex-Red Jamie Carragher Right to Back Danny Ings Rumours

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher aired his views this weekend on whom manager Brendan Rodgers should be chasing to reinforce their attack this summer, giving Burnley's Danny Ings the nod as his target of choice.

The Reds have also been linked with West Bromwich Albion striker Saido Berahino, but Carragher is right in highlighting Ings as the superior option, speaking on Sky Sports' Super Sunday:

"

I think Berahino has got a bit more class, a slightly better player. But if I was Liverpool I'd be trying to sign Danny Ings. The way Ings comes across and the way Berahino comes across, you think will there be a problem with Berahino, maybe an attitude problem?

With Ings, you hear him speak, he says: 'Let your football do the talking.' I don't think what he said was the worst thing in the world, it's probably what everyone thinks as a player at a club like that, but just don't say it.

"

As the report mentions, Carragher is referring to Berahino's comments alluding to the fact West Brom fans wouldn't begrudge him a move in pursuit of "bigger things" this summer.

The Sky Sports pundit is spot on in highlighting this as much as a testament to Ings' mental attributes more than anything else, though, to which Goal.com's Jay Jaffa agrees:

Berahino's attitude issues have already seen him suffer for periods this season, and the Baggies forward started Sunday's 2-2 draw at Burnley on the bench in what was only his latest punishment.

Another reason Liverpool may well consider Ings as the savvier option is related to expense. With the Clarets forward's contract expiring this summer, the Reds would only need to pay Burnley a compensation fee, although the Sunday Times reports it could go much further than that:

The Sunday Times elaborates that Burnley would demand more than £6.5 million for the player, topping the fee Chelsea paid Manchester City for Daniel Sturridge's services back in 2009.

Still, it's a figure far less than the £20 million West Brom are reported to be demanding for Berahino, per the Daily Mail's Simon Jones.

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

Both players have displayed huge promise in the last two seasons and could even come to help form an England strike partnership in the years to come, but Ings' mental resolve and modest fee give him the edge.

His strike against West Brom on Sunday was his eighth Premier League goal of the 2014-15 campaign, which Squawka shows to account for a great deal of Burnley's scoring this term. However, Berahino has nine, boasting an even bigger share for Tony Pulis' side:

It's far from uncommon for transfer speculation to affect one's mood at a club, suddenly feeling a sense of self-entitlement for the hard work put in en route to earning those rumours.

However, while Berahino has openly discussed his possibilities, Ings has merely kept his head down and got on with his work, as Carragher attests, making himself a more attractive dressing-room character in the process.

Stu Forster/Getty Images

Last summer, Liverpool thought they'd got their hands on a quality attacking asset in the shape of Mario Balotelli, one whose emotion and personality has long held links to his success—or lack thereof—on the pitch.

Bearing his failure in mind, it may be time for Rodgers to looksfor other qualities, even though Berahino doesn't hold a very significant advantage over Ings this season in any case.

David Lynch of the Manchester Evening News is backing Ings for great things:

"

Liverpool, City and Tottenham have all looked at Danny Ings. Someone is going to get a very good young player for next season.

— David Lynch (@DavidLynchMEN) February 8, 2015"

Between the lack of discipline, financial disadvantages and very slight difference in scoring prowess, it's difficult to see where Berahino makes for the more attractive option.

What's more, Ings makes for a more natural fit as part of a striking tandem, having created 25 scoring chances this season and making four assists, per Squawka. 

Berahino, on the other hand, is yet to register his first assist of the campaign.

Even if Burnley did demand a tribunal fee of around £6.5 million, it's not a fee Rodgers' side should be fretting over for long. So fortunate is it that the player's contract is coming to an end, they'd be making an extremely valuable move in any case.

During his time at Anfield, Carragher will have gotten to know the kinds of characters those at Liverpool enjoy. It would seem Ings fits that mould more than his West Brom counterpart, and the Reds should take their business to Turf Moor this summer as a result.