This week brought news that superstar Lionel Messi wants out of FC Barcelona, and with it speculation on where he might go next. Provided he does get his wish, and out of Catalonia, where could he go- Paris Saint-Germain? Manchester City? Manchester United?
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was asked by a reporter if his team would be interested in acquiring Messi, and he responded:
“Interest? Yeah, who doesn’t want Messi in their team.”
“But no chance. The numbers are absolutely not for us. But….good player. It would make it even more difficult to beat them [Manchester City]. For the Premier League, it would be great. I would like to see it but I’m not sure if I will.”
Liverpool take on Arsenal in the Community Shield just a few hours from now. At his pre-curtain raiser press conference, Klopp was asked about the notion of adding more players this transfer window.
“There are a lot of interesting players out there but if someone is interesting for us I can’t say right now,” Jurgen Klopp answered.
“Due to COVID-19 you have to think five times about what you can and what you can’t do. We always have to pay attention to the financial aspect. We don’t know how much money will come in.”
“Nobody knows but it seems like some other teams have a more positive outlook on the future, if you look at Chelsea, for example. But I am very happy with my team right now. If something transfer-related will happen, we have to see.”
Community Shield FYIs
Kickoff: Saturday, August 29, 11:30am ET Wembley Stadium, London
Liverpool FC Team News, Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Arsenal Team News: go to this link
Arsenal Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Odds: Liverpool -148, Arsenal +375, Draw into shootout +310
Prediction: Liverpool 2, Arsenal 0
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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