Liverpool already know which two signings can answer Erling Haaland transfer question

If it is now being cautiously accepted that Manchester City’s rivalry with Liverpool is the greatest in football, then it begs the question, will they get into an arms race with each other?

Already, two of the greatest squads in football history are producing numbers that no other teams of any era could ever match in a head to head that is producing, at least statistically, the greatest football ever seen.

Each time one steps up the ante, the other responds. We saw it way back in 2017 when Pep Guardiola stunned football by signing four defenders and to give him the platform he needed, for a combined total of more than £200m.

Jurgen Klopp responded with the signings of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, for around £150m. The signings both managers made gave their teams the stability to challenge as never before, and the benefits have been obvious. Last summer, when Guardiola surprised the football world with a record fee for Jack Grealish, Klopp quietly responded by lining up a player he eventually signed in January in Luis Diaz, who many will argue has had the greater effect this season.

The question is though, what happens when City go nuclear in the summer? Perhaps goaded by Liverpool, perhaps fearful of the challenge they have faced on all fronts this season, the Manchester club have gone all in on signing goal machine Erling Haaland. So many times has it been repeated that Guardiola’s team would be invincible with a proven goalscorer that it has almost become a cliche. Yet there could be some truth in that. Imagine THIS Manchester City team, with THAT striker and the amount of goals he brings.

How could Liverpool possibly respond. Do they look to do the same, and find an upgrade on Roberto Firmino, who has goals