West Ham United must brace themselves for Jarrod Bowen transfer saga after comments by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp

The most recent transfer window from a West Ham perspective was completely dominated by talk of Declan Rice to Arsenal.

Rice did eventually secure a £105m move across London, with that money being wisely reinvested into making the squad stronger.

Jarrod Bowen was also linked with a move away towards the end of the window and the weeks that followed, only to pen a new long-term deal.

Liverpool were reportedly interested in signing the versatile forward as a replacement for Saudi-linked Mohamed Salah [The Independent, 7 October].

That interest has dwindled since Bowen committed to the Hammers, but the talk could easily return ahead of the summer window.

After all, if Salah does indeed make a switch to the Middle East, Liverpool will need to find a replacement and money is not really an obstacle.

And Jurgen Klopp made it clear ahead of Wednesday's [20 December] EFL Cup tie that if he can sign any player, Bowen would be top of his list.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Klopp said: "Playing without [Michail] Antonio, Bowen steps up in that position.

"He's probably my favourite player besides my players - it's just great what he's doing and how he develops."

As far as endorsements go, Klopp stating that Bowen is his favourite non-Liverpool player is pretty much up there.

While the Rice situation was completely different because of his contract ticking down, players will inevitably be swayed by certain comments.

The big worry for West Ham is that Liverpool use the money from any Salah sale to potentially bring in Bowen next year as a replacement.

Another offer in the region of £100m would certainly leave the club with a massive decision to make.

Hopefully it does not come to that, but do not be surprised to see Klopp turn up the charm offensive even more so if he has to.

In other West Ham news, Klopp made an admission about David Moyes prior to Liverpool's 5-1 cup win.