Liverpool’s owners will make funds available to Jurgen Klopp regardless of whether or not Champions League football is secured, with a view to “invest in exciting potential.”
The Reds have seven games remaining this season and with Leicester and West Ham having suffered recent setbacks, their sights are firmly set on a top-four finish.
Klopp’s side currently sit sixth, but victory over Leeds on Monday night would, at least briefly, see them leapfrog Chelsea and West Ham into fourth, moving a point behind third-placed Leicester.
Leicester and Chelsea‘s participation in the FA Cup makes the battle a bit more complicated, but Liverpool can take confidence from a recent return to form that has seen them win their last three games in the Premier League.
Dropping out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage is a big blow, however, and guaranteeing a place in next season’s competition is the priority.
But while it is “unclear” how missing out on a top-four finish would affect their transfer plans, there is “money available” this summer and the focus will be on “investing in exciting potential rather than the finished article.”
That is according to The Athletic‘s James Pearce, who explains that the club will again “look for value” in the market.
It is becoming increasingly likely that a bank-breaking move for the likes of Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe will not be possible, but there is optimism at least that additions will be made.
This is largely due to a £533 million investment into Fenway Sports Group that saw RedBird Capital Partners become the third-biggest shareholders in the ownership group.
Pearce adds that any money allocated to recruitment will be “topped up with the proceeds from player sales,” though another report from The Athletic casts doubt over the prospect of selling fringe players for sizeable fees.
In a wider investigation speaking to agents and figureheads at Premier League clubs, it is mooted that clubs will be able to take fewer risks in the market, with loan deals more likely due to revenue losses in lockdown.
“An agent talks about a Premier League midfielder who is currently on the fringes at his club and would command a £20 million transfer fee in normal circumstances,” The Athletic explain.
“In this market, he admits that the player can expect a season-long loan and nothing more than that.”
A chain reaction is predicted across bigger clubs if, for example, Haaland leaves Dortmund, but it is unclear which sides will be able to afford the Norwegian.
For Liverpool, it could be that they struggle to find buyers for the likes of Marko Grujic, Harry Wilson, Divock Origi, Taiwo Awoniyi and Xherdan Shaqiri for the fees they would hope for.
More interestingly, this may also have a big impact on the futures of Gini Wijnaldum and Mohamed Salah, with it likely that their best option will be committing to the Reds rather than fruitlessly seeking higher wages elsewhere.
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