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Liverpool have improved this season - Klopp

Liverpool "have spoken" to transfer targets for next season, says manager Jurgen Klopp.

The Reds are fourth in the Premier League and host Middlesbrough on Sunday (15:00 BST) knowing victory will earn Champions League football next term.

They last played in the competition in 2014-15 after finishing second.

"The world is not full of players who will make us better immediately but clearly there are a few out there," said German Klopp.

"We have spoken to them.

"We have a really good side when our first 11, 12, 13, 14 players are fit."

The Anfield club have reportedly had external-link a £64.6m bid rejected for Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe and been linked with moves external-link for Roma winger Mohamed Salah, Southampton defender external-link Virgil van Dijk and Fulham left-back Ryan Sessegnon.

Liverpool were top of the table in November and in contention for the title at the turn of the year, but injuries to key players - such as Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana - at various stages derailed their challenge.

They suffered a shock defeat by Wolves in the fourth round of the FA Cup in January and were knocked out of the EFL Cup at the semi-final stage by Southampton.

But Klopp, in his first full season in charge after replacing the sacked Brendan Rodgers in October 2015, said a return to Europe's elite club competition by finishing in the top four will be a "successful" campaign.

A third-place finish would earn direct qualification for the group stage, while finishing fourth will mean they would have to contest a two-legged play-off match.

Klopp added: "The Champions League, for different reasons, is a wonderful competition.

"You can earn a lot of money there - that is money we did not have last year. That is very interesting and is one part of it, but we are already in a good position.

"We are a club without financial problems and we have money to spend, but it makes sense to think before we spend and that is what we are doing."