Liverpool’s recruitment team has historically tended to avoid moves for prospective stars that fall outside the range of top-tier targets.
This was demonstrated to a great extent by the club’s initial unwillingness to explore other avenues beyond Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni when an enquiry and move respectively failed to yield any positive results.
Revisiting his side’s efforts in the window, Jurgen Klopp appeared to nod to a failed attempt to secure the signature of the latter in comments relayed by Paul Gorst on Twitter.
Jurgen Klopp: "We were going for a midfielder who decided to go to another club, which can happen. Some players are not available at this moment but for us, it's really interesting.
"Now we can make a decision if we bring someone in, is it the right one? I'm not 100% sure."
— Paul Gorst (@ptgorst) August 30, 2022
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A move for the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, at the very least, will, Empire of the Kop understands, be a priority for the following summer window.
In the meantime, however, Klopp’s comments should help allay concerns over a perceived lack of backing from owners Fenway Sports Group.
Whilst we’ll expect Julian Ward and Co. to move mountains in a bid to secure a last-minute signing, it seems that a change of heart has come too late in the window to make a difference.