Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has assured the footballing world that Lionel Messi will not be turning up at Melwood any time soon.
Football’s off-season is always a time of madness, speculation and incessant rumours but this year the chaotic schedule and sudden revelation that Messi wants to leave Barcelona after 20 years have kicked the rumour mill into high gear.
Messi to Liverpool? No chance!
Messi has been linked with all of Europe’s heavy-hitters whether they can actually afford the Argentine superstar or not.
Klopp has made it very clear that Liverpool’s transfer policy strictly rules the club out of the running to even pay the transfer fee for the famous number ten let alone meet his transfer demands.
“Interest? Yeah, who doesn’t want to have Messi in their team?” Klopp said when questioned about whether Liverpool would join the hunt to sign football’s most valuable player.
“But no chance. The numbers are absolutely not for us, so we don’t even have to start thinking about it! It is clear, there is no chance.
“But… good player, to be honest!”
Messi and Manchester City
Klopp said that a Messi move would be intriguing and would give the Premier League a tremendous boost, and him signing for Manchester City would make Pep Guardiola’s side even tougher to top.
“It would obviously help Manchester City!” he said. “It would make it even more difficult to beat them – and it was already very difficult.
“For the Premier League it would be great, 100 per cent. Having, I think, the best player in the world come to the league would obviously help. I’m not sure the Premier League needs a boost, but it would be a boost.
“It would be interesting to see as well. Messi never played in another league than Spain. Football is different here, so I actually would like to see it. But I’m not sure if I will.”
Liverpool not hunting superstars
Klopp hinted that Liverpool may dip into the transfer window but suggested the Reds are unlikely to do any flashy business in the window.
“I don’t know what will happen to be honest,” he said. “There is a long time until October 6 [the transfer deadline]. We will see what other teams will do but we are more or less in our situation, and we will deal with our situation like we always did.
“I think the philosophy of this club is pretty clear. We will see how much we can and how much we want to spend. There is nothing really to say about it.”
Watch: Jurgen Klopp’s Community Shield presser
