Liverpool cooled their interest in Mason Mount because the cost of signing the England international proved too much.
The Reds signed Dominik Szoboszlai, 22, from RB Leipzig in a £60million deal. It's believed the Hungary captain has agreed a five-year deal and will earn £120,000-a-week on Merseyside. He's Jurgen Klopp's second signing of the summer after Alexis Mac Allister.
Liverpool were linked with Mount, 24, but he's joined Manchester United instead in a £60m deal. The midfielder, who had just a year left on his Chelsea contract, will earn £250,000-a-week at Old Trafford, making him much more expensive than Szoboszlai.
It's claimed Liverpool were concerned about paying £60m for a player who's entered the final year of his contract and is two years older than Szoboszlai. The fact that Mount's salary is twice as high was also a deal breaker for Klopp.
As reported by The Athletic, Liverpool turned to Szoboszlai because the cost of signing Mount was too excessive. It's believed negotiations with the Hungarian's agent Matyas Esterhazy were relatively straightforward because his client wanted to play for Klopp.
The Liverpool manager's plans for Szoboszlai have also been revealed. It's claimed Klopp wants to play the two-time German Cup winner on the right of central midfield, a role usually reserved for captain Jordan Henderson.
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The Englishman, 33, still has two years left on his contract and isn't expected to leave Merseyside anytime soon. Henderson will still play an important role next season after Klopp promised to give Szoboszlai time to adapt to English football.
Klopp said: "There is no pressure... Dominik is still a very young player. He has so much development ahead of him and this means it makes sense for us all to be patient and to give him the time and space to allow his talent to come through within our team."
Speaking to Liverpool's website, Klopp added: "He has made some big strides - moving to Leipzig, doing really, really well in the Bundesliga, playing for the Hungary national team and then becoming captain of his national team at an incredibly young age."
Szoboszlai's versatility will also help Klopp when Mohamed Salah represents Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in January. Salah is keen to win the upcoming tournament, due to be held in the Ivory Coast, after losing the 2017 and 2021 AFCON finals.
Szoboszlai, who is capable of playing in central midfield, attacking midfield or on either wing, could fill in for Salah during the AFCON. Salah is the only Liverpool player expected to play in the tournament, as Joel Matip has not played for Cameroon since 2015.
Szoboszlai explained his versatility during a Q&A with Liverpool's website. He said: "To be honest, for me it doesn’t matter [what position I play] - I want to be on the pitch. But of course everybody has their own position. Of course, attacking midfielder as a 10, I can play on both 10s, left, right, on the sides also. Just I want to play."
