Jurgen Klopp believes that the Merseyside giants can still attract the best players in the world, but he also acknowledges the fact that they lose out on potential signings as they struggle to compete in the bidding war.
According to the German manager, the Manchester giants have an added advantage in pursuit of their transfer targets as the two clubs can offer more money in contrast to the likes of Liverpool.
“Liverpool is a big name in European football and for sure there will be a few players who will say ‘I want to play there’,” Klopp told reporters.
“Well, until they get another offer from another club with a similar history and more money!
“But it’s 40 miles away from Liverpool so I can live in Manchester and play there and if I want to go to Liverpool, I can go there instead.”
The former Borussia Dortmund boss also ridiculed the players who want to join a club playing in the Champions League.
“If a player only wants to come to us to play in the Champions League, short-term ideas are always silly. I don’t like this.
“I don’t like it when players say ‘Ah, but you’re not in the Champions League. We want to get you because we want to play in the Champions League.
“If you don’t want to help us, and want to jump on a running train, then go somewhere else. That’s it.
“You need the right mentality and quality. That’s how it is. If there’s a player who won’t join Liverpool because we don’t play in the Champions League or will only join because we’re in the Champions League, that’s not for us.
Klopp has claimed that Liverpool will not give in to the unrealistic wage demands of the players in the transfer market.
“There are a lot of players out there. We have to make the decision. If we can’t convince the player then we can’t. That’s because of other offers or different things.”
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are currently 11th in the league table, but they play Aston Villa on Monday and with a win they can get back to the eight spot. They are 12 points behind the fourth-placed Manchester City and a Champions League finish through the traditional route seems highly unlikely. The Reds will have to buckle up for an exceptional run in the Europa League this term in order to have a chance of reaching the promised land.