Alongside Matthijs de Ligt and Nicolas Pepe, the future of Bruno Fernandes has been one of the long-running transfer sagas of the summer.
Liverpool have been one of the sides repeatedly linked to the Sporting Lisbon captain, with the playmaker establishing himself as one of Europe's most-sought after players after scoring a stunning 32 goals last season.
With the Reds insistent they will not make any big-money signings this year, a move for the 24-year-old is admittedly unlikely.
Follow all the latest Liverpool news and transfer rumours in our daily LIVE blog HERE
But Jurgen Klopp got a glimpse of the Portugal international up close earlier this week as Liverpool's US Tour concluded against Sporting at the Yankee Stadium.
Fighting out a 2-2 draw to share the Western Union Cup, Fernandes opened the scoring for his side inside the opening five minutes as Simon Mignolet failed to keep out his long-range effort.
And Klopp reportedly made a beeline for the midfielder after the final whistle with the Portuguese media claiming he lavished praise on Sporting star.
"Good game. You’ve been good. Congratulations for the great game. You’re a top player," Klopp told him claim O Jogo, cited by Sport Witness .
Klopp was also asked about Fernandes when speaking to the press after the match as he continues to be linked with Manchester United.
"If he [joins Manchester United] then we will face him. He’s obviously a really good player.
"They have already a few really good players, so that will probably make them stronger.
"It’s not nice, but United’s transfer dealings are] not our cup of tea, to be honest."
