During his recent press conference, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was questioned about Chelsea’s interest in Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
His response contained a subtle jab directed at Chelsea.
Reports circulated on Monday that Liverpool had reached a £60 million agreement for the highly-regarded Southampton midfielder, Romeo Lavia.
However, Liverpool faces fierce competition from their Premier League counterparts, Chelsea, who have expressed interest in securing deals for both Lavia and Moises Caicedo this transfer window, as reported by Sky Sports.
This development follows Mauricio Pochettino’s team agreeing to a British record transfer worth £100 million, accompanied by an additional £15 million in performance-based add-ons for Caicedo.
The Ecuadorian player’s medical examination was scheduled for Monday.
Although Caicedo was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool and Klopp had previously mentioned an agreed deal during a press conference, it now appears that a move to Stamford Bridge is in the works.
Klopp’s comments can be interpreted as a dig at Chelsea for potentially diverting Caicedo’s signing.
🆕 More on Moisés #Caicedo and his record transfer / @ChelseaFC:
➡️ 1st part of his medical is done ✔️
➡️ Medical will be finalized today. #CFC8-years-contract; more than £115m transfer fee + add-ons confirmed. Announcement soon. @SkySportDE 🇪🇨 pic.twitter.com/he4WsgBPmT
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 14, 2023
With rumours over Lavia and Caicedo’s future still lingering, Klopp was questioned about the pair in his latest press conference and well, he gave his honest thoughts on the situation.
“A lot of Chelsea and Liverpool fans were talking before the game about transfers, with Caicedo and Lavia, and it seems both teams are interested,” one reporter asked.
He added: “Is there anything you can say to enlighten people of what may or may not happen?”
Klopp soon replied: “Where’s the camera? No [I cannot say anything],” he said. “Oh, that [new signings] is what the Chelsea manager wants, and usually they get it… I’ve got nothing to say about it to be honest. I’m sorry.”
You can check out that moment in full below.
Jurgen Klopp refused to give much away when he was asked about Liverpool’s pursuits of Southampton’s Romeo Lavia and Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caidedo after the Reds’ entertaining 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge 👀 pic.twitter.com/pS6X7cr6vJ
— Chelsea FC News (@Chelsea_FL) August 14, 2023
Liverpool, meanwhile, have reportedly identified an alternative target in case the deal to sign Moises Caicedo falls through.
According toESPN NL, the Reds are interested in signing PSV midfielder Ibrahima Sangare this summer, with Kiki Musampa, the brother of Sangare’s agent, confirmed the news.
Sangare has received Premier League interest from West Ham and Nottingham Forest this summer, as well as German giants Bayern Munich.
The 25-year-old, who has told PSV he is ready to test himself in the Premier League should a bid arrive, is said to have a €37 million release clause.
Thoughts on Klopp’s comments in the press conference on Sunday? Let us know in the comments.