"Do I like it? No; Did I realise I was wrong? Yes" - Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp addresses comments when he claimed he wouldn't spend £100m on a player
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he got it wrong after previously claiming he wouldn't spend £100 million on a player, as his side close in on Moises Caicedo.
The Reds have agreed on a £110 million deal with Brighton & Hove Albion for Caicedo, per The Athletic. They're set to beat Chelsea to his signing in a shocking turn of events that would see the Merseysiders break the British transfer record.
Paul Pogba held the record in 2016 when he rejoined Manchester United from Juventus for £89 million. Klopp's comments have since resurfaced in which he had said at the time that 'the day that this is football, then I'm not in a job anymore'.
Klopp was asked about those comments during his pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool's clash with Chelsea on Sunday (August 13). He responded (via Liverpool Echo):
"Everything changed. Do I like it? No. Did I realise I was wrong? Yes. That's the way it goes. Saudi Arabia will not help with that."
The German coach has acknowledged that he needs to assemble the best possible team to compete at the highest level:
"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."
Klopp concluded by stressing the difficulties in negotiating and that he was fine with his old comments used against him:
"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."
The British transfer record has been broken for the second consecutive transfer window. IChelsea did so in January when they signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for £106.8 million.
The Blues looked nailed on to lure Caicedo to Stamford Bridge this summer, having chased him throughout. However, Mauricio Pochettino's side were put off by Brighton's £100 million valuation and tried many times to sign him at a lower fee.
Liverpool jumped in at the last minute and are now on the brink of signing one of the Premier League's most coveted midfielders. The 21-year-old featured 43 times across competitions last season, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
Top five expensive British transfers as Liverpool agree £110 million deal for Moises Caicedo
Liverpool are set to break the British transfer record for the first time by signing Caicedo. However, they didn't feature in the top ten, let alone top five of the most expensive British transfers before this.
Chelsea's capture of Fernandez is top of the pile after his £106.8 million move from Benfica in January. That's followed by Jack Grealish's £100 million move to Manchester City from Aston Villa in 2021, which broke the transfer record.
Declan Rice sits just below his English teammate in third due to the add-ons of his £105 million package deal from West Ham United not being activated yet. Romelu Lukaku's transfer to Chelsea from Inter Milan in 2021 for £97.5 million is fourth, while Pogba's move to Manchester United comes in at fifth.
Liverpool don't feature in the list till 11th, which is Virgil van Dijk's £75 million arrival from Southampton in the winter of 2018. It goes to show Klopp's intentions in the transfer market, but some may argue that it stems from FSG's lack of spending.