Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he was keen to bring Bayern Munich midfielder Konrad Laimer to Liverpool during his tenure as manager. However, RB Leipzig refused to sanction a sale, and the Austrian international remained in the Bundesliga, eventually joining Bayern on a free transfer a year later.
Liverpool's midfield overhaul
Liverpool instead brought in Arthur Melo on an emergency loan before offloading Fabinho and Jordan Henderson the following summer. Interim sporting director Jorg Schmadtke oversaw a wholesale midfield restructure at Anfield. Laimer, now 29, has predominantly featured at full-back for Bayern, establishing himself as a versatile squad player.
Klopp's vision for Laimer
Speaking on Magenta TV ahead of Austria's 2-0 World Cup defeat to Argentina, Klopp said: "What I can say about Konrad Laimer is that, in my team, he would play as a number six. I wanted to bring him to Liverpool to play that role. But then he went to Bayern."
Current transfer pursuit
Liverpool are now pursuing another RB Leipzig talent, Yan Diomande, who is making his mark at the World Cup with the Ivory Coast. The Reds have indicated a willingness to pay around £85 million for the 19-year-old, though that figure is understood to fall short of Leipzig's valuation. The German club are eager to retain Diomande for at least another season and would ideally secure him on a contract extension with a release clause.
Former Germany international Steffen Freund commented on Diomande's potential move: "Physically, he should be able to manage it. But take Florian Wirtz as an example: he's joined the reigning champion and was expected to win the title straight away. The pressure on him is immense. In the Premier League, he's up against better full-backs than in the Bundesliga. It's a different kettle of fish – it's a real battle there."
