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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Jurgen Klopp gives verdict on Manchester City spending and Harry Kane transfer

Jurgen Klopp says it's not his place to judge the spending of other Premier League clubs, but admits he is at a loss to explain Manchester City's power in the transfer market.

The Reds have added just Ibrahima Konate to their ranks this summer after confirming the £36million arrival of the France Under-21 international from RB Leipzig back in May.

Since then, Liverpool have had a watching brief with regards to incomings as the likes of City, Manchester United and Chelsea have spent huge sums to improve.

City shattered the British transfer record to bring in Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100m last week and still have designs on landing Harry Kane from Tottenham for a fee that would surpass that figure.

READ MORE: Pep Guardiola makes FSG and Liverpool claim

Meanwhile Chelsea broke their own club-record this week to re-sign Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for £97.5m, while United have paid out around £120m for Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho, from Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, respectively.

With regards to City, specifically, Klopp says he does not know how the Premier League champions are able to manoeuvre the way they do, but moved to clarify that he was not looking to be critical of Pep Guardiola's spending at the Etihad.

"Everybody has an opinion about it but it is not my position to judge the things that other clubs are doing," said Klopp.

"So the thing that I love about a football match is not about having the best 11 players.

"That's how it is. So that always gives you a chance to win a football game. We very often had the better players, probably, on the pitch but lost anyway.

"That's not good but it shows there is a chance for us as well if we face a team with better players than us. I don't see that to be 100 per cent honest.

"But if that is the case and there are new ones, who have not been at the club long and have cost a lot of money - of course all the players the clubs have signed have real quality - and if Harry is really going to Man City that would not make them worse! So that's incredible.

"But City were probably the best team last year and won the league, yes, but didn't win exactly the one they wanted. That's the situation. So there are different things you can do in football.

"There is no criticism at all. I don't understand it 100 per cent how it is possible, but it seems to be possible for them and that is the situation."

Klopp denied any suggestions that he might be envious of such wealth, however, saying Liverpool 's way of operating keeps them as well placed as possible to achieve success.

He added: "I know for us it is not possible for us so why should I now always sit here [saying] 'yeah we better sign him, and we need him and we need that and we need that.' I'm not like this.

"My job is to work with the players we have and I love working with these players, I love it. I love each second. And now let's start the season and play the best football we can play.

"And when we play one of these great squads we will try to win it with all we have. With all we have.

"And there are ways in football to do it and we try to use them. So let's see if it works or if it doesn't work.

"We are really Liverpool, with a specific way we have, something we could rely on, the support of our fans, we can create an atmosphere nobody else can - I'm 100 per cent that is the truth.

"So let's do that. Let's go together and we have a team that went through highs and lows together already. From my point of view I would prefer to have a high again this season.

"Let's give it a try and don't think too much about what other teams are doing."

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