Jurgen Klopp has explained why he's broken his rule to spend €100 million on new striker Darwin Nunez, after claiming he'd never spend that much.
Back in 2016, Klopp was asked about Paul Pogba's move from Juventus to Manchester United, with Liverpool's rivals spending €100 million on the midfielder.
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The Reds' boss claimed that he would be out of a job if he ever spent that much on a player, saying, "The day that this is football, I'm not in a job anymore, because the game is about playing together."
Six years later and the German is still in a job, despite going back on his word and breaking the barrier to bring Nunez in from Benfica this summer.
Now the 55-year-old has explained why he's gone back on his original statement, saying, "When you want to sign a striker as exciting as Darwin in, it's the market and you have to pay the price.
"I've said so many things in my life and life caught me then later and showed me that my imagination was obviously not clear enough for how quick life can change."
Klopp did suggest that the exact price for Nunez wasn't as much as had been quoted previously, adding, "“A lot, obviously a lot. These kind of things happen," the manager said when asked about the player's price.
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"The numbers [regarding Nunez] you are telling are not right, but it’s not a problem – I know which kind of number is going around in the world out there."
No matter how much exactly it is, the cost is still expected to be more than the one the former Borussia Dortmund manager spent on Virgil van Dijk.
Of course if the forward has the same impact as the centre back then no one will care about the fact Klopp once said he wouldn't spend that much.
Transfers have also risen exponentially since PSG signed Neymar for £198 million in 2017, although no one has got close to the price of the Brazilian since.
Liverpool fans got their first glimpse of the new signing on Tuesday, when they took on Manchester United in their first pre season game of the summer.
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United came out on top in a 4-0 hammering, with Fred's brilliant chipped finish amongst the highlights, and it wasn't the best introduction for the Uruguayan.
Nunez missed a perfect chance late in the game, blazing it over the bar, and someone even created a video package of his 'disasterclass.'
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/LFCTopics: Jurgen Klopp, Darwin Nunez, Liverpool, Premier League
