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Jurgen Klopp has dismissed reports linking Liverpool with Kylian Mbappe and suggested the Reds' lack of summer transfer business was down to the cost of their targets.

The Reds have been tentatively linked with Paris-Saint Germain superstar Mbappe of late, with supporters on social media even getting the phrase '#Mbappe2020' trending due to the volume of talk about a potentially record-breaking deal.

Liverpool fans' excitement was only heightened last month by the club's High Court case that ruled against New Balance, to free up Mbappe's boot manufacturers Nike to take over as the Reds' next kit suppliers on a five-year deal.

Asked about possible interest in Mbappe, Klopp made no secret of his admiration for the France World Cup winner, but laughed off suggestions of a summer move for the 20-year-old.

"We have nothing to say about it to be honest, but [buying] this calibre of player is difficult!" Klopp said.

"I don't think there is a club in the world that can buy Kylian Mbappe from PSG, that is how it is. And we are involved in that too.

"We cannot do it, it is as easy as that. OK, from a sporting point of view, there are not a lot of reasons to not sign him, what a player he is.

"But it is about the money of course. No chance. Absolutely no chance, sorry for killing that story!"

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After winning the Champions League in June, the Reds followed it up with a subdued summer as they struck deals for teenage pair Sepp van den Berg and Harvey Elliott from PEC Zwolle and Fulham, respectively.

The youngsters have featured in the Carabao Cup this term but will continue their long-term development in the youth ranks as Liverpool push for a first league title in 30 years.

(Image: Erwin Spek/Soccrates/Getty Images)

Klopp admitted the club did look at more senior incomings back in the summer but conceded that their targets were just too costly at a time when a whole host of first-team stars were rewarded with new contracts.

Liverpool spent close to £250million across the two transfer windows of 2018 and have handed out new deals to as many as nine first-team players in less than 18 months.

Klopp added: "We spoke about this. The players we thought about to make this team better, they were really expensive and we couldn't spend the money, that is how it is.

"We thought about players, is he better than him? better than him? Or has the potential to be better or can play exactly the same? It is already difficult. That is what it was. That was the situation.

"We were not ready and didn't want to make five or six changes. So this team is in a wonderful age and they really still have space for improvement and that is all completely fine.

"But we would have done something, but we couldn't have done the right thing.

"We didn't want to do that so that is the reason why we kept this squad because the squad is really good and if you want to improve it you have to do it with the right players and not with some players to try to fix whatever we can. That is not possible."