Earlier this week, The Guardian reported that Chelsea were interested in signing Napoli attacker Lorenzo Insigne as Maurizio Sarri eyes a reunion with his former star.
Liverpool were also reportedly in the hunt for the Italian winger, with the Premier League title contenders rumoured to be considering hijacking the bid in order to add to their impressive attack.
Nevertheless, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp quickly poured cold water on the reports, publicly denying that he would sign Insigne.
Liverpool fans will likely be disappointed by the German’s comments, as the Italian would be an excellent acquisition to take Liverpool’s attack to the next level — a transfer that could finally grant them their first Premier League title.
“We will not sign Lorenzo Insigne,” Klopp told The Independent on Thursday. “He’s a very good player, and he has a long term contract at Napoli. We will not even try it. Will it be the biggest transfer window for Liverpool? No.”
Rarely do managers offer such explicit comments denying a transfer rumour, and Klopp has left nobody in any doubt about his position.
Another blow for Reds supporters came when he lowered expectations for the upcoming transfer window. Although Liverpool already possess a fearsome squad, teams must strengthen constantly in order to continue to compete at the top of the Premier League.
Liverpool fans may feel frustrated following Klopp’s Thursday press conference, when a busy transfer window and a move for the 30-cap Italy international were both ruled out.
However, with the Premier League season not yet over and the Reds still in the Champions League, there is time yet for the club to formulate their summer transfer policy and what plays out in the coming months may be very different to what people are saying will happen.