Klopp takes sly dig at Man City spending, as he talks Liverpool transfers

Jurgen Klopp Liverpool TEAMtalk

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool will have a quiet summer in the transfer market and has taken another veiled dig at Manchester City.

Bitter or not Reds boss Klopp had his say about City’s successful Champions League appeal this week.

City had their two-year European ban – imposed by UEFA – overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

UEFA initially handed down the ban for City’s alleged breaches of the governing body’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

Klopp was asked his thoughts and said it was “not a good day for football” before explaining that: “It’s there for protecting teams, for protecting the competition. That was the idea in the start.”

The Athletic claim that City’s escape “threatens Liverpool’s entire model” and Klopp had another snipe at their rivals when quizzed about transfers.

The German coach referred to “real money” when he was asked about their summer spending plans.

“Every team has a chance but it means it will be more difficult,” Klopp said. “Strengthening the squad you talk about like it is something I just have to ask for and somebody opens the well and away we go.

 

 

“To strengthen the squad you need money and these are uncertain times. Obviously, uncertain times means for some clubs we cannot do what we would do in non-uncertain times.

“Ask me can we develop the squad and it is probably possible, but only with real money. We have talents ourselves, big talents, and players who can make big steps in our squad.

“But buying now? Just go out and there and name whoever you want, whatever the player is, go for it? That is really difficult. It was always difficult.

“If we have money we will spend’

“We did not invest a lot in the squad last year and that was before Covid-19. We do not know when supporters will be back in the stadium.

“Whoever knows, tell me and then we can plan with that. That is how the club has been led since before I was here. If we have money, we will spend.

“If we do not know if we will have money, we probably will not spend that much. That is how it is.”

Liverpool pulled out of a move for Timo Werner recently, before Chelsea struck a deal worth around £50m with RB Leipzig for the forward.

While TEAMtalk understands Klopp has no interest in Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara, who is being hawked around Europe for a move this summer.

Liverpool are well aware that with one of the biggest wage bills in the game at over £300m, they will have to be prudent after three months of revenue were wiped out by the Covid-19 pandemic.

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