Jurgen Klopp admits interest in '12 midfielders' after ending Jude Bellingham pursuit

Jurgen Klopp has claimed that Liverpool will not waste time bemoaning missed opportunities in the transfer market and will instead push ahead with other plans this summer.

90min reported earlier this week that the Reds have backed away from a deal to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund this summer due to the high fee he would command and the need to strengthen in several positions.

Liverpool's other targets include Chelsea's Mason Mount and Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch, while the father of Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister has admitted it is likely his son will move on at the end of the season.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of Liverpool's trip to Leeds, Klopp delved into the club's transfer plans and revealed their interest in '12 midfielders'.

Read the latest Liverpool news here

"We have to make sure, we have to make decisions for the team, for the club, and we cannot dream, we cannot be angry if we don’t get this or we don’t get that. If there’s no chance for it, why should we do that?" Klopp said.

"We cannot discuss things you always want to discuss all the time in public, what kind of situation would that be? I react like a supporter or like you [a journalist] and it is ‘how can they do this, how can they do that, he doesn’t get this, or he doesn’t get that’. Who cares? We have to sort it. That’s all that we have to do.

"For us it is not fun, like ‘oh my God they [another team] sign him, great’. That’s our life, our business and what we really have to put right.

"It doesn’t help if I ask for something and I don’t get it and I say ‘I don’t want it anymore with him or with him’. That’s rubbish, that’s not okay. I’m too a much a professional. You are in this business, you make sure that’s what we can do, fine, work with it. Done. That’s it, make the best of it. Go about and go on the training ground.

"In this moment it looks like if we sign this player, everything will be fine, if we sign this player then ‘oh my God, do we really want to play football again?’.

"Based on other seasons I understand that but imagine now if I would fall into that trap as well and say ‘these guys I don’t want to see them anymore and let's make 12 changes and yes we have to build a new team’. It’s not like that. You are interested in a player, you think about a player, you have to check if it is possible or not, it’s not possible.

“Now we see. There are 12 midfielders we could sign, stuff like this yeah, fine. There are a lot of good players out there, honestly, yeah a lot of good players. And we are interested in all good players, and some of them will end up here. That's all."

LISTEN NOW

On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss Liverpool missing out on Jude Bellingham this summer, Chelsea potentially hanging on to Mason Mount, Ryan Gravenberch interesting Man Utd & Arsenal & more!

If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!