Klopp remains coy on potential Gotze swoop

Though Liverpool have a mathematical chance of finishing in the top four and are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, Klopp is not expecting to be in Europe’s premier competition next season but that is not stopping him making ambitious plans.

He has already made two additions to his squad – Cameroon defender Joel Matip and Serbia U21 international Marko Grujic – but more are expected, with Gotze, who has fallen out of favour at Bayern Munich, a firm target.

Gotze, who is entering the final 12 months of his contract in Munich, played the best football of his career under Klopp when they were together at Borussia Dortmund and has privately indicated he wants to work with his mentor once again.

Klopp would not speak in specifics about whether he expected to be reunited with Gotze once again but he has no doubt about him having the right character to embrace a new challenge and he stressed that is the type of individual for whom he is looking.

"Maybe 80 per cent we are not in the Champions League next year," said Klopp. "So if I would speak to a player now and he would tell me “if you were playing in the Champions League next year, I would be really interested” then I would put the phone down from my side.

"I always tell players if when you are 35 or 36 and look back on your career and you think about the one year you didn’t play Champions League then you are really a poor boy. There are so many things you can do and reach if you go together with the team.

"You can qualify for the Champions League, play Champions League, maybe win it or whatever. It is a much more satisfying thing than all the rest. That is what I would say. It is pushing the train, not jumping on the running train. That is what we need here.

"If somebody says to me “you don’t play Champions League next year” then it’s “Goodbye!” and “thank you, have fun next year wherever you will be”. We will find players or we have players already that will go our way."

Gotze said in January during Bayern Munich’s mid-winter training camp in Qatar that people should “ask Klopp” whether he wanted the 23-year-old at Anfield; put on the spot at Melwood on Friday, Klopp laughed and kept his cards close to his chest. His admiration for Gotze, though, is clear.

"Liverpool is great," said Klopp, who is also tracking the Poland midfielder Piotr Zelinski and Leicester defender Ben Chilwell. "Really great, the city and the club. Another answer in general, it is easy to know I like Mario Gotze.

"It was not the best day in my life when I heard he was going to Bayern Munich. I have known him since he was 16. That is a long trip but he is still a young player. That is the only difference to all the other players around. I would never say anything about a transfer, whether we are interested or not.

"I speak about transfers when they are done and not before. We can talk two hours about Mario Gotze but it would not change a per cent whether he comes here or goes wherever."

Source: MailOnline

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