LONDON — Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool’s owners to “risk a bit more” as the Reds boss searches for a new midfielder before the transfer window closes on Thursday.
Klopp was backed by Liverpool’s Fenway Sports Group owners with a potential club record fee to sign Darwin Nunez from Benfica, as well as deals for Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay since the end of last season.
Those signings could end up costing Liverpool over £100 million (RM519 million), but they have recouped a large chunk of that outlay on player sales.
Aware of the huge spending by several of Liverpool’s Premier League title rivals, Klopp is seeking to bolster his injury-hit midfield this week and would like FSG to push the boat out to seal a deal.
However, the German admits Liverpool’s budget is out of his hands and he does not wish to get into a public argument over the subject.
“What I don’t like is if I say now ‘I’m not sure’ then you make a big thing of it,” Klopp told reporters on Tuesday when asked if he felt backed in the transfer market.
“What does it mean ‘backed’? I realise it was always like this. Is it always easy? No. Do we discuss this kind of things in public? Of course not.
“Let me say it like this, from time to time, I would be ready to risk a bit more but I don’t decide that and that’s fine. We try everything until the deadline.” Klopp revealed there is “light at the end of the tunnel, definitely”
Curtis Jones and Joel Matip are back in training while Diogo Jota, Thiago Alcantara, Caoimhin Kelleher and Ramsay are all making promising progress in their rehabilitation from injuries.
The number of players sidelined in the early part of the season means Klopp is still on the hunt for reinforcements.
“There’s still time but when it’s over and whether someone signs or not, I’ll be really happy about it because we can stop thinking about it and just focus on the squad and team we have,” Klopp said.
“The closer we get to the last minute, the more unlikely it gets. We are not out but it’s really difficult.
“For sure there are a few players out there which would be the right ones but they have different issues. Some of them are contracts or clubs don’t want to sell. We cannot force it. We’ll see.” Liverpool finally got their first win of the season at the fourth attempt with a Premier League record-equalling 9-0 rout of Bournemouth on Saturday.
“First and foremost, the scoreline is a freaky one. We don’t expect a freakish scoreline again for a lot obvious reasons. What I want to keep is the way we played,” Klopp said.”
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