Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp knows $690m Manchester United truth amid Champions League race as FSG faces big summer

Liverpool and Manchester United are two of the teams battling to finish in the Premier League top four and qualify for the Champions League this season.

With Liverpool trying to qualify for the Champions League by overtaking at least Manchester United or Newcastle before the end of the Premier League season, Jurgen Klopp and his staff have already started making plans for the summer.

Regardless of how the season ends in terms of results and final standings, Liverpool need to overtake this summer and need to spend money without necessarily having a large amount of assets to cash in on to fund any move.

Amid growing competition – driven in large part by levels of spending in England that most of the rest of the continent simply cannot match – Liverpool cannot afford to fall further behind.

However, a quick look at the spending that has taken place around the Premier League in recent years shows just how successful Liverpool have been on a relatively small budget.

According to One Football, since Pep Guardiola joined Manchester City (a few months after Klopp’s arrival at Anfield), the Etihad side’s net spending has more than doubled to $727m (£580m/ 667 million euros), like those of Liverpool.

Manchester United are now around three times as numerous, with Chelsea and Arsenal also top of the list when it comes to spending planning.

At $292m (£233m/€268m), Liverpool is also below Aston Villa, Spurs, West Ham and Wolves, as well as newly big-spending Newcastle United, whose investment will only increase considerably.

Manchester United, which had net spend of $983m (£784m/€902m) over the period (a variance of US$690m/£551m/€634m euros), shouldn’t be in the top 4, risking missing out – that should be a no-brainer.

Erik ten Hag has been partially crippled this season due to the lack of a No.9 to fall back on and that issue needs to be addressed as a priority this summer. But it was the Manchester United manager who decided to splurge on Antony last summer.

Although Liverpool have consistently outperformed in recent seasons, that doesn’t mean the Reds shouldn’t be in better shape this season. The money for a midfield reinforcement was available last summer, but the sporting decision has been made.

Liverpool are under pressure to spend big this summer, but everyone else will be too. Even after a big summer that saw the midfield change, the Reds have yet to excel in the wider context.

But that’s precisely why it’s so important for Liverpool to fight their way into the Champions League this time around and then invest wisely this summer. The competition is not weakening.

Also.. 

Liverpool might complete a “excellent” free transfer as Bayern Munich makes a brutal decision on Sadio Mané

Media Digest: Liverpool legend Sadio Mane has struggled since he left Merseyside last summer and a series competition winner could prove a savvy addition.

Bayern Munich ends stay of Liverpool hero after one year

There is no doubt that Liverpool have lost Sadio Mane this season, with the Reds only achieving truly consistent form in the last month. However, it seems the Senegalese superstar’s decision to leave Anfield last summer was a bad decision from all sides.

After a tumultuous Bundesliga debut season for Mane, it now appears that new manager Thomas Tuchel is willing to give the 31-year-old player some time in Bavaria. According to Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports in Germany, the former Reds striker has no future at the Allianz Arena and could return to the Premier League this summer.

That makes for a tough year for the Liverpool legend, who has started just six of 11 games since returning from injury in February and was suspended for one game by his club after an alleged altercation with Leroy Sane in April. Will there be another chapter of the Mane story in Merseyside?

This compounds a tough year for the Liverpool legend, who has started just six games in 11 fixtures since returning from injury back in February and was handed a one-match ban by his club after an alleged altercation with Leroy Sané back in April. Does Mané’s story on Merseyside have another chapter to come?

Serial league winner could be free Liverpool midfield fix

With a host of midfielders expected to depart Anfield this summer, it is only to be expected that Liverpool will be linked with a plethora of names as potential replacements. A host of options have been mooted in recent months but one serial league winner may represent some serious value for the Reds.

Of course, the likes of Chelsea’s Mason Mount, Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch and Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister have all been linked with a move to Merseyside this summer — however, none of these players are likely to come cheap. One midfielder who would bring quality and experience is Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot, who will be available on a free transfer this summer and could be of interest to Liverpool, according to 90min.

The 28-year-old could well be in demand in the upcoming transfer window, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham all maintaining an interest in his services. The midfielder, who has won six league titles in his career, could prove a smart addition and has been in good form this term, netting eight goals in 29 appearances in Serie A.