LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 10, 2016: Liverpool's manager J¸rgen Klopp before the FA Premier League match against Leicester City at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Liverpool backing Jurgen Klopp with £40 million in January, claims German paper

Jurgen Klopp is said to have been given £40 million to spend in the January transfer market—if he deems it necessary to reinforce.

The turn of the year has seen the opening of the transfer window, and unsurprising calls for Klopp to add to his Liverpool squad to backup their Premier League title charge.

The 49-year-old is not a major advocate of the January market, preferring to do his business during the off-season, but has hinted he could make signings if they represent long-term value.

Most notably, Klopp could look to sign another forward, following injury to Philippe Coutinho and Danny Ings, and the departure of Sadio Mane to the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.

If this is the case, German publication SportBild claim Klopp has been given £40 million to secure his targets.

Bayer Leverkusen winger Julian Brandt is listed as a possible signing, with the Bundesliga side looking for a similar fee to that which brought Leroy Sane to Manchester City from Schalke 04 in the summer (£37 million).

Arsenal‘s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Inter Milan’s Gabriel Barbosa are also mentioned, though given Klopp described links with the former as “nonsense,” this is likely pure speculation.

That Fenway Sports Group would be willing to back Klopp with a £40 million January signing is not unfeasible, however.

Borussia Dortmund's Christian Pulisic

Previous reports have suggested that if Klopp does identify the right player in mid-season, FSG will pay up.

Borussia Dortmund teenager Christian Pulisic is believed to be Klopp’s priority target, and owners John W. Henry and Tom Werner were reported to be happy to go all out to sign him.

Their ambitions have taken a blow by repeated statements from Dortmund expressing their intention to retain Pulisic, however.

Liverpool have also been linked with RB Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg and Spartak Moscow’s Quincy Promes this January, and they represent more believable signings.

Forsberg’s agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, told Bild this week that “I still cannot promise that Emil will be staying in Leipzig this winter,” while Promes has been given a glowing recommendation by Reds midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.

FC Rostov’s Iran international forward Sardar Azmoun was being monitored by Liverpool towards the end of 2016, but speculation regarding the 22-year-old’s future has gone quiet.

Liverpool’s January business is likely to be primarily focussed on outgoings, with Mamadou Sakho, Lucas Leiva and Pedro Chirivella among those expected to leave either on loan or permanently.

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