Liverpool transfer news: Jurgen Klopp not 'biggest friend' of January window

However, the Liverpool manager says the club will 'react' if it needs to

(Getty Images)

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is not planning a busy January in the transfer window despite the club lining up a deal for Red Star Belgrade youngster Marko Grujic.

The Reds have a £5.1million deal lined up which would see the 19-year-old midfielder loaned back to his cash-strapped club for the rest of the season.

However, nothing can be completed until the window officially opens on January 1 and Press Association Sport understands Reds officials are still wary about it going through as Russian clubs CSKA Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg have offered at least £7.3million - a figure Liverpool will not match.

Klopp was non-committal on Grujic, despite Serbian newspaper Telegraf quoting the midfielder as saying: "I'm going to Liverpool. People from Liverpool want me but will allow me to keep my desire to stay for the second half of the season; this is evident in their every move during previous negotiations".

"There is nothing to tell about that," Klopp said on the player's proposed move.

"We try to be prepared all the time but this window in January is not the easiest one.

"There are big prices in the market so I am not the biggest friend of the January transfer window but if we have to react to it we will react to it.

"Maybe a player will leave us, I don't know, if he comes to me and says something but it is not a situation I want.

"Maybe we have to react if we have another injury because we have a lot of games in the transfer window.

"We are not planning only to get more and more players, that is not how I think we should work, but if we have to react we will do it."

PA