It will be fascinating to see how the football world responds to the coronavirus crisis. With all clubs taking a sizeable financial hit, the transfer market could be reshaped in ways we can’t yet properly imagine.

After a quiet summer in 2019, Liverpool may have been looking to make several transfers this year, yet completing multiple deals may now prove to be very difficult.

RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner has been linked with a switch to Anfield for many months, and it seems both he and the club are keen to make the transfer happen. However, the financial repercussions of the suspension may prevent that.

Players will leave Anfield too. Adam Lallana’s contract is expiring, and Xherdan Shaqiri is likely to leave in the pursuit of regular first team football. With the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for next January, Jurgen Klopp could find himself with limited attacking options at points next season.

With all of the above in mind, Michael Edwards and his team may need to be creative in the transfer market this summer. Could Bournemouth’s Josh King provide a sensible, low cost option?

Sky Sports have reported that the 28-year old is wanted by four of the Premier League’s top six clubs. Liverpool are not one of the teams named in the article, but as King only has one year left on his contract, the former Manchester United man could provide a relatively low cost transfer option for the Reds.

Should Bournemouth’s five-year stay in the top flight come to an end, he could be available at an even cheaper price. Liverpool also have a good working relationship with the Cherries, having sold them three players and loaned Nathaniel Clyne and Harry Wilson.

Klopp has form for buying and getting the most out of players from relegated clubs too, with Gini Wijnaldum and Andy Robertson the best examples, but Shaqiri has also provided goals and assists at key moments.

There are clearly aspects of the deal which would make sense or have a precedent of sorts. Some of King’s statistics suggest he could succeed at Liverpool too.

One of the prerequisites of playing for a Klopp side is the ability to work hard and a desire to press ferociously when required. Statsbomb’s pressure statistics, which can be found on fbref.com, imply King is more than competent at this aspect of the game.

The Norwegian international made 268 pressures – which are defined as applying pressure to an opposing player who is receiving, carrying, or releasing the ball – in the final third last season, which was the 10th most in the Premier League. The fact Mohamed Salah was ranked first, Roberto Firmino sixth and Sadio Mane 11th illustrates how important this is to Klopp’s Liverpool.

King is also more creative than his assist tally would suggest. He has assisted 12 goals in the Premier League, yet the chances he has created have been worth closer to 18 in total, according to Understat. The finishing of his teammates has robbed King of about a third of his assist potential.

However, his own form in front of goal has generally left something to be desired. King has scored four more non-penalty goals than would have been expected in the Premier League, per Understat, though he overachieved by five in 2016/17 alone. He finished that campaign on fire, with 13 goals in his last 16 appearances of the season, but has proven erratic since.

On that basis it would be surprising if Bournemouth’s number seven moved to Anfield this summer. Similarly surprising links certainly shouldn’t be ruled out though.