Jurgen Klopp's desire to sign a defensive-minded midfielder has become clear after the Liverpool manager reportedly attended a secret transfer meeting.
Klopp is said to have met up with Sofyan Amrabat's representatives behind closed doors after the Fiorentina star's stellar performances helped Morocco reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. The Reds boss is keen to bolster his midfield in the January transfer window after a tricky first half of the season, with limited options at his disposal.
Experienced trio Jordan Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho have suffered injuries and dips in form since the start of the campaign, while youngsters Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho have struggled to nail down a place in Klopp's XI. The German has, therefore, turned to the transfer market to snuff out reinforcements, although it doesn't look promising for the Anfield faithful.
According to French outlet Foot Mercato, Klopp sat down with Amrabat's entourage to express his direct interest in signing the 26-year-old Moroccan, but the player's sights are set on a move to Spain. With Atletico Madrid tipped to win the race for Amrabat, it appears that Fiorentina's linchpin would rather to be playing at Wanda Metroplitano Stadium than Anfield next season.
"I don't like to talk about others. But yes, what Simeone does, what he has achieved... he has coached Atletico Madrid for many years," Amrabat recently told Marca. "I like his style of play. He has won a lot and I have a lot of respect for him. The players on his team are physically strong and aggressive. I like to play that way."
Nevertheless, Liverpool's potential defeat on that front still suggests that the Reds are indeed looking to sign a midfielder who can replace their ageing stars. As well as top target Jude Bellingham, who's more attack-minded, players like Fulham newbie Palhinha and Borussia Monchengladbach ace Manu Kone have been linked with a switch to Anfield.
Neither are expected arrive this month, though, with Klopp admitting on Friday that he'll likely have to make do with his squad until at least June. Asked whether fans could expect to see anyone to follow £37million signing Cody Gakpo through the door before January 31, the 55-year-old coach replied: "I don't think so, it's just the situation is like it is.
"In the end, my job is to use the boys we have. I have absolutely no problems, like how the team lines up, but when we start changing, you realise that up front now, we don't have three, four or five options and if we do have options, they are quite young, which is fine.
"That's the situation and you cannot solve all problems in a transfer window. In a dreamland, you buy players and bring them in, but I don't see that coming. It's not that we have so much money, we don't know what to do with, but we think, 'Ah we don't need anyone'."
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Having grown tired of questions regarding transfers ahead of the Reds' crucial Premier League clash with Brighton on Saturday, an exasperated Klopp hit out at a journalist who'd probed him further. "I've had 6,000 press conferences at Liverpool, I have to tell you again the money story?," he asked.
"Why could it be the reason we have money like crazy and we still don't buy players? You know the answer! It's not that we have so much money we don't know what to do with but we think 'ah we don't need anyone'. It's just not that easy, we cannot sort the problems [in the window] with injuries."
