Jurgen Klopp has confessed that Liverpool had to pull out of the race to sign Jude Bellingham due to financial constraints.
Despite the midfielder being their top target for the summer transfer window, his reported price tag of more than £100 million, coupled with the competition from Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Manchester United, made it impractical for the Reds to pursue him any further.
As a result, they are now exploring other options.
At the end of the season, Liverpool will face a significant rebuilding task, with the midfield being a critical area that requires attention.
While Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, and James Milner are all expected to depart as their contracts expire at the end of June, the club will not be acquiring Jude Bellingham as a high-profile replacement.
Despite the midfielder is a top target, Liverpool withdrew from the race to sign him due to financial constraints and intense competition from other clubs.
“There’s nothing to say about it to be honest,” Klopp said in a press conference on Friday. “If we don’t speak about players we sign or not sign, why would I speak about this kind of speculation and news? I have nothing to say about it.
“It has always been like this. It’s never changed. My answer now is not about Jude Bellingham. I never understood why we constantly talk about things we theoretically cannot have. We cannot have six players in the summer for £100m [each], for example. That’s clear.
“You have to realise what you can do and then you have to work with that. How much money do we have available? Then we work with that. That’s the job you have to do.
“We are not children. You ask a five-year-old what they want for Christmas and they tell you, ‘I want a Ferrari.’ You wouldn’t say ‘That’s a good idea’. You would say, ‘No, it’s too expensive and you cannot drive it.’ And that’s how it is. If this kid spends their whole life unhappy because he cannot get a Ferrari then that would be a really sad life.
“It’s just [about] what you can do. And then you do it and work with that. It was always how I’ve worked.
“What we need and what we want, we try absolutely everything to get it. But there are moments we have to accept this or that are not possible for us and step aside and do different stuff.”
Klopp has previously spoken glowingly of Bellingham, who has exploded onto the scene in the past few years at Dortmund and established himself in Gareth Southgate’s England side.
Speaking in December, Klopp purred over the teenage star: “Bellingham is just exceptional. He plays so maturely, like a 28-year-old.