JURGEN KLOPP has revealed that there is no agreement in place prohibiting the Liverpool boss from raiding former club Borussia Dortmund for the German club’s top stars.
It was widely reported when Klopp ended his extended break from the game to take charge at Anfield that there was a verbal accord in place prohibiting him from trying to tempt players away from Dortmund.
But with the January transfer window looming Klopp set the record straight and triggered anxiety in his former employer’s boardroom by disclosing: “There is no agreement with Borussia Dortmund. I heard as well that there was one – these sort of things are always written at the time but, no it’s not true.”
Klopp left behind an array of rich talent, big performers like Mats Hummels, Marco Reus, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Sven Bender and Ilkay Gundogan – players who under Klopp were crowned Bundesliga champions and reached the Champions League final.
Ideally he would love to add one or two to his Liverpool squad, with the summer being a more realistic time to try and do business rather than January when clubs are more loathe to turn things around.
But he is committed to making changes after whetting the Liverpool fans’ appetite for what the future holds with last Saturday’s stunning 4-1 victory at Manchester City, coming not so long after a comprehensive win at champions Chelsea.
“I have a good relationship with Borussia Dortmund and a good relationship with all the players there – there is nothing negative between us.” Klopp said.
“So there could be a possibility – if we need a player then we could try. At this moment there is nothing to talk about.
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| Jurgen Klopp admitted he can sign players from Dortmund including Marco Reus and Matts Hummels |
“But there is no agreement that we can’t do business with Dortmund. There’s also no agreement that we can’t sell players to Dortmund!”
Also Klopp has a knack of not always targeting the obvious in the transfer market. He added: “If we have to battle with, say Manchester City then it can be a crazy transfer market. But you don’t always have to take just the players that everyone knows about, Maybe you can surprise people.
“We only want to do something if we feel it is necessary or there is an opportunity where we cannot say no. Or our situation changes in a way where we have to take players in.
“This decision isn't for today or tomorrow, but we are always preparing for the moment. That's what we have to do.”
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| Ilkay Gundogan has also been linked with a move to Liverpool |
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| Marco Reus is one of the Dortmund stars who has been linked with a move to Liverpool |
Right now his mind is set on attempting to replicate a Manchester City and Chelsea style performance in front of The Kop today against Swansea City.
Last weekend’s show at the Etihad prompted rich praise from the football world, former Anfield star Jamie Carragher admitting: “The first 35 minutes was as good as I can remember. It was like watching the Red Arrows.” Ex Manchester United player Gary Neville stated: “I thought Liverpool were fantastic.”
It even sparked talk that Liverpool could have a say in the destiny of the Premier League title.
Klopp was eager to dampen down what he believes is unrealistic speculation.
He said: “If I thought it would help to be thinking about this (winning the league) every day, I'd start thinking about it at 6am in the morning then finish at five the next morning.
“But it helps nil. It's not interesting. It's not a dream – in some cases, yes, it may be a dream, but in this case it's not. We have to work.
“If you think about it, what can happen when you aren't concentrated?
“We've only played most of the teams once and we can only take three points, so we just need to keep on working.
“That's all we can do and see where we are in May or June. I don't even know when the season ends! May? May's a good month!
“Manchester City was good but it feels like last year.”
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