Liverpool legend John Barnes has insisted that Jurgen Klopp's side should not be awarded the Premier League title if the 2019-20 season is cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Reds sit 25 points clear at the top of the table with just nine games of their season remaining, meaning that they need just six more points to secure their first top-flight title since 1990.
However, the future of the 2019-20 campaign has been plunged into doubt by the coronavirus pandemic, with football in England suspended until April 30 at the earliest and no guarantee yet that it will be completed.
Whether Liverpool are awarded the title or not has been one of the most contentious issues surrounding the situation, but Barnes believes that the fate of clubs further down the league - including relegation and Championship promotion - means that such a solution would not be viable.
"You have leagues to be finished and I think leagues have to be finished, not just from Liverpool's point of view or any other club in any country. It's obviously bigger than that, you are talking about promotion and relegation all the way down the divisions," Barnes told Sky Sports News.
"So I think if the leagues can even be delayed - you don't have to rush back to them - maybe you have to write off a season. Even if we have to start in July or August, what we have to do is finish these games even if it takes up until December, which writes off the [next] season.
"These are desperate times and this is an unusual circumstance. If you are going to give Liverpool the title, then who would get promoted and relegated? You can't just give Liverpool the title because we are so far ahead. What would Leeds and West Brom say? What would Fulham say if they don't come up and you promote those two? Do the bottom three in the Premier League not get relegated?
"Safety is the most important thing so allow this season to take as long as it does, there's no need to rush back as you are delaying Euros to 2021. If you have to play one game a week from October, and mean the season goes on until next January or February, then you can kick-start the next season at the right time rather than play catch-up for years."
Liverpool have dropped just five points from their opening 29 games this season and are on course to break the all-time record for most points in a top-flight campaign.
Barney Corkhill
