WE ARE THE PLACE TO BE SAYS KLOPP
JURGEN KLOPP believes Liverpool’s ability to attract the world’s best players has never been better, with players of the calibre such as Kylian Mbappe and Jadon Sancho in the manager’s sights. When Klopp arrived at Anfield, Liverpool had a habit for selling their top talents. Raheem Sterling left for Manchester City for £50million in 2015. The Premier League leaders, however, have undergone such a transformation that they can now shop at the top end of the market, and Liverpool’s manager says only high-quality additions will be considered in future. Klopp made enquiries about the availability of Mbappe when he left Monaco in 2017. Now, Real Madrid are also interested in signing the striker from Paris Saint-Germain, but reports in Spain suggest that Zinedine Zidane is concerned that Mbappe would prefer to move to Liverpool rather than La Liga. Sancho, the England forward thriving at Borussia Dortmund, is another on Liverpool’s radar for next summer. When asked about Mbappe, Klopp said that buying ‘...this calibre of player is difficult. I don’t see any club at the moment who can buy Kylian Mbappe from PSG. We are involved in the clubs that cannot do it — it is as easy as that. From a sporting point of view, there are not a lot of reasons to not sign him — what a player he is! ‘It is about the money, of course. No chance. Absolutely no chance. ‘The club is in a very good position. Image-wise, it maybe (always) was but now I think it is easier to live the life of a Liverpool supporter and that means automatically being in a situation to sign the players you want to sign.’ Liverpool’s reputation has been transformed by reaching the last two Champions League finals. ‘There are reasons, good reasons, why players want to join us,’ said Klopp. ‘I don’t think we struggle with convincing players. When you speak to a player you can feel it. We are in a really good position. Unfortunately it does not lead automatically to a situation where you win all the football games.’