Steve McManaman has told Liverpool fans they must realise the club "can't spend silly money on a player" amid their central midfield woes.
The Reds are expected to revamp their options in the centre of the park next summer as James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are out of contract in June. That department is also ageing, with Jordan Henderson, 32, and Thiago, 31, into their thirties.
Jude Bellingham is believed to be Liverpool's first-choice central midfield target and is valued at more than £100million. But McManaman is concerned his former club don't have the same financial firepower as the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle.
While Liverpool are not afraid to splash the cash, their net spend is always relatively low compared to other Premier League clubs. They spent an initial £78m to bring Darwin Nunez, Calvin Ramsay, Fabio Carvalho and Arthur to the club in the summer.
Yet the Reds raised an initial £60m by selling Sadio Mane, Takumi Minamino, Neco Williams and Ben Davies. In comparison, top-six rivals Manchester United and Chelsea both had a net spend of more than £200m during the recent transfer window.
Looking further back, Liverpool have made a number of smart sales in recent years, offloading Danny Ings for £20m, Rhian Brewster for £23.5m, Danny Ward for £12.5m, Jordan Ibe for £15m, Mamadou Sakho for £26m, Christian Benteke for £32m and Philippe Coutinho for £142m.
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McManaman suspects this cautious approach to business means fans must temper their expectations. "I do believe the owners would back Jurgen Klopp," he told Horseracing.net. "Fans have to be realistic and realise that Liverpool can’t spend silly money on a player.
"Liverpool couldn’t afford Erling Haaland. Liverpool couldn’t afford Kylian Mbappe when we all thought that Real Madrid were going to get him. They spent £64m on Darwin Nunez, they spent £5m on Fabio Carvalho and they spent £4m on Calvin Ramsay.
"They have spent money and I believe Klopp will be given money if the right player becomes available. They need a midfielder but I don’t believe the midfielder they wanted was available and I think we all know who that was. He may be available next year. We need to be realistic about targets and you can’t just buy anyone and throw them into the team."
On Liverpool's need for a new central midfielder, McManaman added: "Liverpool eventually need a number of midfielders. Jordan Henderson is getting older and James Milner is 36 years old.
"Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are available on a free transfer at the end of the season, whilst Thiago has had his injury problems. That midfield will need brushing up, that’s for sure."
As well as Bellingham, Liverpool are believed to be interested in Real Madrid's Federico Valverde, Brighton's Moises Caicedo, Leicester's Youri Tielemans and Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz. Klopp has previously admitted Liverpool need to sign a new central midfielder - but only if that player is right for his team.
