Jurgen Klopp has acknowledged that Liverpool cannot afford to spend their entire transfer budget on high-profile “Ferrari” signings as they appear to have been priced out of the running for Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham.
Although Liverpool was previously linked with the young English midfielder, they are said to have shifted their focus elsewhere. With several other clubs including Real Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, also interested in Bellingham, the competition for his signature is likely to be fierce, which could increase his transfer fee.
Klopp’s priority is to spend Liverpool’s money on multiple players to improve their ageing squad, which has underperformed this season. The German coach has sent a clear message to the fans that the club must consider the bigger picture instead of pursuing a high-profile signing.
“It is not about Jude Bellingham, my answer now, but I never understood why we talk about things we theoretically cannot have,” Klopp told reporters on Friday.
“We cannot have six players in a summer, everyone for £100 million ($125 million). Everyone would say that is clear.”
“You have to realise what you can do and then work with it. That is your job. We are not children.”
“When you ask a five-year-old what they want for Christmas and they tell you, ‘I don’t know, a Ferrari, you wouldn’t say ‘that’s a good idea’ — you would say ‘that is too expensive and anyway you cannot drive it.”
“If this kid then was really unhappy because he didn’t get a Ferrari, it would be a really sad life.”
“You look what you can do, and you work with that. That is always how I worked,” Klopp said.
“What we need and what we want, we try everything to try to get but there are moments where we have to accept and step aside and do different things.”
