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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is ready to dip into the transfer market in January in the wake of Danny Ings’ season-ending knee injury.

Klopp’s attacking options will be further depleted early in the new year by Sadio Mane’s month-long absence due to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Roberto Firmino, Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi are the club’s frontline strikers but Klopp believes the Reds may need to splash the cash in order to ensure they have sufficient cover to maintain a challenge for silverware.

Owners Fenway Sports Group have made it clear that money is available to strengthen the squad with Klopp having returned a profit on his transfer dealings last summer. New sporting director Michael Edwards will be tasked with drawing up a list of potential targets.

Borussia Dortmund winger Christian Pulisic remains on Liverpool's radar after they failed with a bid to sign the young American in the summer.

“We watch the market all the time and of course we need to be prepared for different situations and one of them is injuries,” Klopp said.

“The African Cup of Nations we already knew about so we don’t need to be influenced or surprised by that, but it could be a moment when we approach the market.

“It’s not about about how many strikers. Three strikers is enough, I think. But when Sadio is away we will be without a winger. We do not have many wingers, I would say.

“Roberto Firmino could play as a kind of a winger which would then just give us two strikers. It is a long way to go from January onwards and that month of January is busy.

“If we can go to the semi-final of the League Cup it could be the busiest month of the whole year. We need to be prepared for this for sure.”

Mane will link up with the Senegal squad in early January ahead of the tournament in Gabon which takes place from January 14 to February 5. The £30million man will be missing for crunch Premier League matches against the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.

The scheduling of the Africa Cup of Nations is a source of frustration but the good news for Klopp is that Joel Matip is highly unlikely to be involved.

The Liverpool centre-back isn’t part of the current Cameroon set-up following a self-imposed exile from international football. Matip has repeatedly turned down the chance to add to his 27 caps since Hugo Broos took over earlier this year.

“As a manager you are not too happy when you don’t have players in January, but I’m not the person to say anything about the African Nations Cup,” Klopp added.

“It is their big tournament and you can’t say ‘come on, play it in summer’. That is quite difficult in Africa. As a manager I do not like it but it is three weeks. We knew it before and so we have to find a solution.

“I’ve not spoken to Joel about this much, but he wasn’t with the national team last time and he’s not with them this time.

“It’s a different situation to Sadio because he lived in Senegal. Joel was brought up in Germany. I am pretty sure Joel will stay here.”