Jurgen Klopp won’t spend exorbitantly without knowing his exact budget.
The Liverpool manager explained to Sky Germany on Saturday he doesn’t expect Liverpool to make any blockbuster transfer signings this summer due to the uncertainty surrounding the business of soccer. The Premier League season will restart without fans in attendance due to coronavirus-related restrictions, and most soccer observers believe the loss of gameday and other revenue sources will depress the transfer market this summer. Klopp seemingly sides with this view.
“There are all sorts of rumors in England about who Manchester United are going to pick, Chelsea are going to pick,” Klopp said. “It’s rather quiet here (at Liverpool) at the moment, I think it’s safe to say. If you want to take it seriously and run a normal business and depend on income and have no idea how much you will earn … especially because we don’t know when we can start playing with spectators again.
“At the moment, all clubs are losing money. Without spectators, we have to pay back the season tickets and probably sell none next year. At least maybe without the first 10 or 15 games. The VIP areas won’t be packed and the tickets won’t be sold. This will have an impact on other partners and things will look a bit different.
“Discussing with the players about things like salary waivers and on the other hand buying a player for £50 million to £60 million, we have to explain.”
Rumors had linked Liverpool with a move for Timo Werner for months, but the RB Leipzig striker reportedly has agreed to join Chelsea whenever the transfer market opens.
Liverpool’s position among the sporting elite — as evidenced by its 25-point lead in the Premier League standings — and world soccer’s financial heavyweights will keep the Reds in the headlines, as transfer rumors gather steam. However, Klopp’s words should loom large over each rumor, particularly those involving grandiose sums.
