Jurgen Klopp sets off on fiery rant about Liverpool's pursuit of Jude Bellingham

Jurgen Klopp set off on a fiery rant in his press conference ahead of Liverpool's Premier League clash against Leeds United when he was quizzed on transfers. The Reds boss addressed all the talk surrounding Jude Bellingham as reports emerged earlier this week that Liverpool have dropped their interest in the England international, at least for the time being.

As quoted by Anfield Watch's Twitter account, Klopp cited PSG attacker Kylian Mbappe as an example and explained why Liverpool cannot afford to put all their eggs in the Bellingham transfer basket.

“The first thing when you are convinced about something and you want to do it then you need to create a feeling that when the process is happening that it can work out.

“If you don’t have that feeling then it just holds you back. You cannot fight for Kylian Mbappe from now on and say ‘that’s the only offensive player we want.’ Then you realise he goes to Real Madrid or stays at PSG, as an example.

"That makes no sense. The prices you maybe know or maybe you don’t and prices change over time but that’s it. In this moment, it looks like if we sign this player [Bellingham], everything will be fine, and if we sign this player [an alternative] then: ‘Oh my god, do we really want to play football again?’

“Imagine now if I’d fall into that trap and say: ‘These guys, I don’t want to see them anymore, let’s make 12 changes and build a new team.’ It’s not like that. It’s not that heated. It’s a normal situation. You are interested in a player, you think about a player, you have to check if it is possible or not.”

The Liverpool manager also confirmed that up to 12 midfielders are on the club's radar at the moment as they aim to shore things up in the centre of the park this summer.

“There’s maybe 12 midfielders we are interested in [on the market], that’s good. We will sign some, I hope.”

ANFIELD WATCH VERDICT

As devastating as it is that Jude Bellingham will probably not be a Liverpool player this window, it makes sense for the club to invest in multiple midfielders this summer. Liverpool do not need a shiny new toy or a missing piece of the puzzle in midfield, they need fresh blood and a handful of players who can come and perform straight away.

The club haven't covered themselves in glory with their dramatic change of stance on Bellingham, but if they manage to spend that money on two or three solid midfield additions, I don't believe any of our fans would complain. That said, this is arguably Klopp's most important summer as Liverpool boss and he absolutely has to get it right in the transfer market if we are to become force to be reckoned with next season.