Jurgen Klopp hails Timo Werner and Kai Havertz as ‘great players’ – but admits Liverpool are unlikely to make major signings

Reds’ reluctance to commit to a major outlay during the pandemic saw Chelsea secure the £54m signing of Werner

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed Timo Werner and Kai Havertz as “great players” but admitted it’s unlikely the club will make any significant signings this summer.

Klopp spoke to RB Leipzig striker Werner over a potential move to Anfield in the summer. However, the club’s reluctance to commit to any significant outlays during the coronavirus pandemic allowed Chelsea to take the lead in negotiations, with Frank Lampard’s side expected to finalise the £54m deal in the coming days.

Bayer Leverkusen talisman Havertz has also attracted interest from the world’s elite, with Klopp a keen admirer of the 20-year-old, but Bayern Munich are understood to be leading the race in a deal which could reach £80m.

“There are a lot of good players on this planet,’” Klopp told Sky Germany. “Timo Werner is a great player, Kai Havertz is a great player.

“There are all sorts of rumours in England about who Manchester United are going to pick, Chelsea are going to pick.

“It’s rather quiet here (at Liverpool) at the moment, I think it’s safe to say. If you want to take it seriously and run a normal business and depend on income and have no idea how much you will earn... especially because we don’t know when we can start playing with spectators again.

“At the moment, all clubs are losing money. Without spectators, we have to pay back the season tickets and probably sell none next year. At least maybe without the first 10 or 15 games. The VIP areas won’t be packed and the tickets won’t be sold. This will have an impact on other partners and things will look a bit different.

“Discussing with the players about things like salary waivers and on the other hand buying a player for £50-60m, we have to explain.”