Red Star Belgrade may be jabbering away constantly about Liverpool’s interest in young midfielder Marko Grujic with the 19-year old looking likely to be Reds boss Jurgen Klopp’s first signing since taking over at Anfield, but the German manager is staying tight lipped on the whole affair and their transfer strategy in general.
“There’s nothing to tell about [transfers],” he said ahead of hosting Leicester City on Boxing Day. “It’s how I’ve said all the time, we try to be prepared but this window in January is not the easiest one. There are big prices in the market and things like this,” continued the Liverpool coach. “I’m not the biggest friend of the January transfer window but, like I always said, if we have to react we will react.”
No matter who is at the helm, the Reds are always a good story and would be linked with a whole host of players no matter what their situation. Since Klopp has taken over, almost every player from his former club Borussia Dortmund have been linked with a move to Merseyside with the likes of defender Neven Subotic and midfielder Ilkay Gundogan apparently near the top of his wishlist. Although he’s stressed that he’s not looking to make wholesale changes, departures and injuries are a natural part of the football landscape and he’s confirmed that Liverpool will be prepared to react if the need arises.
“I’m not long enough here… maybe a player will leave, I don’t know. If he comes to me and says, ‘it’s not a situation I want’, then maybe we have to react,” explained Klopp before moving on to a more likely scenario. “Or another injury. We have a lot of games in the transfer window so that’s what I always try to say. We are not planning only to get more players and more players and more players. That’s not how I think we should work,” he continued. “But if we have to react, we will react.”
