The Liverpool manager has backtracked on previous comments he made about the cost of transfer fees
(Image credit: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he made a mistake after agreeing to bid £111m for Moises Caicedo from Brighton, despite the Ecuadorian refusing to join.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Chelsea on Sunday - the same side they were in a bidding war with for the Ecuadorian - Klopp confirmed that Liverpool have agreed a deal for Caicedo, with a medical set to take place imminently.
While Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Caicedo has rejected a move to Liverpool, suggesting he only wants to sign for Chelsea, Klopp has still backtracked on comments he made seven years ago.
Liverpool have agreed to pay £111m for Caicedo (Image credit: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images for Premier League)
When Manchester United signed Paul Pogba from Juventus for £89m, Jurgen Klopp suggested the sum was ludicrous and that he'd never be comfortable spending that amount of money on a player.
“The day that this is football, then I'm not in a job anymore," Klopp said in 2016.
However, the German boss has now admitted he made a mistake.
“Honestly, everything has changed. Do I like it? No. But did I realise I was wrong? Yes, definitely. That’s the way it goes," Klopp said.
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WATCH: Why Chelsea Liverpool want Moises Caicedo so badly
Klopp does acknowledge that the state of the transfer market makes it imperative that Liverpool spend that sort of money, though. Working to rebuild the midfield this summer, Liverpool have already signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
"In the end, we have to try and make sure we get the best possible team together. 50% will like it and 50% won't. We are trying to bring together the best squad for us.
"We cannot just point on players and bring them in, there is a lot of work to do. Sometimes one door closes and another opens up. If people want to throw my quotes from five years ago, no problem. I realise I was wrong."
Jurgen Klopp criticised the money Liverpool paid for Pogba in 2016 (Image credit: Manchester United via Getty Images)
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
