Klopp: Messi out of Pool’s range but I’d love him in English game
JURGEN Klopp has laughed off a suggestion Liverpool could sign Lionel Messi — but would like to see him in the Premier League.
Messi has rocked the footballing world by handing in a transfer request at Barcelona, sparking huge speculation over his future.
Klopp says he would happily take the six-time Ballon d’or winner, but concedes the Premier League champions are simply not in the market for the 33-year-old.
The Liverpool manager said: “Interest? Who doesn’t want to have Messi in their team? But no chance.”
Liverpool’s title rivals Manchester City are considered to be among the favourites to sign Messi should he leave the Nou Camp.
A move to the Etihad Stadium would reunite Messi with his former Barca boss Pep Guardiola, under whom he won two Champions League crowns in 2009 and 2011.
City might hold further appeal in that chairman Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain are also well known to Messi from their time at the Catalan club.
In addition, there may also be a desire to link up with his friend and long-time Argentina teammate Sergio Aguero.
Klopp said: “It would obviously help Manchester City and make it even more difficult to beat them, which was already very difficult.
“For the Premier League it would be great, 100%, having the best player in the world in the league.
“The numbers are not for us. We don’t have to start thinking about it. No chance, but he’s a good player to be honest!
“I’m not sure the Premier League needs a boost but it would be a boost, for sure.
“It would be interesting to see as well. Messi has never played in another league, other than Spain. Actually, I would like to see it — but I’m not sure I will.”
Klopp has confirmed youngster Rhian Brewster will begin the new season in the first-team picture at Liverpool.
The Anfield supremo does not want to rush a decision on whether the 20-year-old striker should be loaned out again.
The highly-rated Brewster enjoyed an impressive spell at Swansea last term, scoring 11 goals in 22 games as the Welsh side reached the Championship play-offs, and has again shone in pre-season.
Brewster struck twice as the Reds came from behind to draw 2-2 in a friendly against Salzburg on Tuesday and he was also on target against Stuttgart last weekend. Klopp has confirmed Brewster will play some part in today’s Community Shield against Arsenal and, at present, he is in his plans.
The German said: “At the moment, he is. We will have to see what will happen in the next few weeks.
“We want to use and help Rhian, that is why we have to make decisions — but not now.
“He looks really promising. Goals are the most important thing in the football world and he can score them, so that’s good, but he is still a boy so, and in this position, No.9, experience helps a lot.
“We have to see how we can give him experiences here, or is it somewhere else. It’s not decided yet. Why should it? There is no reason to rush anything.
“At the moment he is here and he will be involved (today).”
The Liverpool boss believes the upcoming season could be the most intense he has ever experienced.
The Reds have been back in training for just a fortnight and there will be less space between games in the condensed league season ahead, which is due to start on September 12. Klopp added: “Would I want to play a proper game after two weeks’ preparation? No, but we have known (about) it for a while. It took a while until we got any schedule but since we’ve known it we’ve accepted it 100%.
“We have had two weeks’ training and we have worked really hard.
“For us, like Arsenal, we prepare for a whole season — one of the most intense, probably, we have ever experienced in our lives because of the amount of games and the time we have for that.
“It’s as perfect as we can be, and we will try everything to win the game and Arsenal will do the same.”
Klopp added that he is stating facts and not complaining as the world continues to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said: “It will be intense but nobody is moaning. We are happy we can play at all.
“Time is still uncertain for all of us, not only in football. The situation is not sorted so we should not feel like it is. We have to show responsibility for a lot of people in the world.”
The Wembley date with Arsenal comes a fortnight before the Premier League begins, with players involved in international fixtures between.
That further hampers Klopp’s preparations but the German insists that does not mean he considers the Community Shield as a friendly.
He said: “I would be very surprised if this would be the best game we play this season but we should be ready to fight for a result.
“The opponent has a similar situation, so just give it a proper try, everything you have and try to win it.
“That’s all I can say about it. It’s not a test game, it’s not a friendly, it is a proper game against Arsenal.”
Liverpool have made just one summer signing in Greece leftback Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiakos.
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, believes the spike in coronavirus cases among Premier League players proves the upcoming season is on a knife-edge.
A number of players have tested positive for Covid-19 as they return from short holidays to begin pre-season training.
The likes of Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba and Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele were left out of the France squad having returned positive results.
Arteta was the first high-profile case among the British football community when he was struck down in March, the catalyst for the season being halted as the pandemic took hold.
And he warned that the season could be put at risk if cases continue to climb and believes clubs will have to plan for losing players to the virus in the coming months.
Asked if the increased positive results were a sign that the season is on a knife-edge, the 38-year-old (left) replied: “Yes — and I think we are going to have many more cases in the future unfortunately.
“You are just planning to do something and then that player tests positive, and that positive was a false positive.
“We are trying to get used to it, get around it, and trying to manage the situation as well as we can.
“There is not much we can do and we know that there are some uncertainties we cannot control at the moment.”
It is understood the Premier League is not expecting there to be any need to delay the start of the 2020-21 season.