Jose Mourinho believes Liverpool are trying to buy Premier League glory on the basis of the club’s busy summer transfer window.
The Reds finished as the highest spenders in England’s top flight after surpassing £170million with the signings of Naby Keita, Fabinho, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alisson.
Meanwhile at Old Trafford, Mourinho’s sole high-profile acquisition came in the form of Fred as he joined from Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee in the region of £52million.
Veteran goalkeeper Lee Grant and 19-year-old full-back Diogo Dalot were the only other players to arrive, with United’s lamenting boss consequently cutting a frustrated figure.
Having already claimed that Liverpool had been buying ‘everything and everybody’, Mourinho has now taken another swipe at the Reds.
“I think Liverpool are trying to buy the title, but when I say buying I mean ‘buying’ with amazing investment,” said the United boss, speaking to Sky Sports.
“Chelsea has a fantastic squad, City have a fantastic squad too.”
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Liverpool’s summer business took their net spend since summer 2016 to £114million, leaving them well short of Manchester United’s £307million in comparison.
Jurgen Klopp’s transfer business hasn’t just stemmed from a desire to bolster his squad’s strength in depth but also from injuries and high-calibre departures that have demanded replacements be brought in.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain serves as a notable example of this, with the Englishman’s long-term knee injury combining with Emre Can’s move to Juventus in leaving a glaring midfield void to fill.
The club’s goalkeeping department also needed to be addressed in light of Loris Karius’ crushed form following his torrid Champions League final. Enter Alisson for a fee that always promised to be eye-opening given the extent of Liverpool’s need for a new no.1.