Klopp explains why Liverpool cannot compete for €222m Neymar types
Jurgen Klopp says there is “no chance” that Liverpool can compete for players like Neymar.
In an interview with Kicker, cited by ESPN, Klopp has claimed that Liverpool’s spending has limits and the record €222million that PSG paid Barca last summer for Neymar is out of the question for the Reds.
Klopp was critical when Manchester United spent £89.3m to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016 – even going as far to say he would quit football if such fees became the norm.
Since then, however, Liverpool have more than matched their rivals’ spending, with the £66.8m capture of Alisson setting a world-record fee for a goalkeeper, while their £75m January signing of Virgil van Dijk also set a benchmark for a defender.
Those two deals have helped take Liverpool’s spending to an eye-watering £250m over the past 12 months with Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri arriving at Anfield.
But asked about the possibility of Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, sanctioning a fee similar to that spent by PSG on Neymar, Klopp said: “No chance, no chance, no chance.
“We are not owned by a state like it’s the case at two big clubs. We have our limits.”
Klopp was then asked whether the Reds’ owners could fulfill every transfer target he wanted, he said: “No. We have a conservative leadership.
“It feels like €100m back then is €500m today. When Neymar joined PSG for €222m, I shook myself.
“Back then I had an opinion, but an incredible lot has happened since. In 2017, Neymar joined Paris, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona for a lot of money, and Kylian Mbappe [joined] Paris.
“This opened the whole thing, the money’s on the market. Now, if Liverpool wants a player, the other clubs want a bit of the cake too. That’s the story.
“And you must also keep in mind that players like Mo Salah, Sadio Mane or Robert Firmino, players we bought for €30m to €40m, have a different value on the transfer market these days. That’s part of the business.”