Klopp confirms Caicedo deal and explains unexpected change in approach

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has publicly confirmed that an agreement has been reached with Brighton and Hove Albion for the transfer of Moisés Caicedo.

Speaking in the press conference previewing Sunday's Premier League opener with Chelsea, Klopp told reporters: "First and foremost, I got told that I can confirm the deal with the club is agreed."

Reports emerging overnight suggest that Liverpool have agreed a British record transfer for the 21-year-old Ecuador midfielder who had looked set to join rivals Chelsea before an unexpected turn of events of Thursday.

That said, the German remained relatively tight-lipped about the transfer and any scheduled medical, saying: "Don’t praise the day before the night."

"Let’s do it step by step. Let’s see what happens in the next hours or days, then we have enough time to talk to about that."

It should be noted that the coach seldom discusses transfers in public before they are finalised.

A new approach to the market?

The deal for Caicedo, believed to be worth £111 million plus a sell-on clause, has raised plenty of eyebrows - especially given that the club's pursuit of Jude Bellingham was called off because of financial reasons.

When asked specifically about this, Klopp cited unexpected events - namely the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho - for the change in approach.

"Some things we didn’t expect to happen this summer - Hendo, Fab... - that we didn’t think about. When that happened we gave it a go.”

The sales of these two key players, plus those of Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, has left Klopp's engine room incredibly light and without a recognised holding midfielder.

However, should the nine-figure deal for Caicedo ultimately go through, it remains unclear whether the Reds will continue in their pursuit of Southampton's Roméo Lavia.

"We are a club which doesn’t have endless resources," Klopp said.