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Jurgen Klopp has a message for any summer transfer target waiting to discover if Liverpool can offer Champions League football before deciding on their future: “Forget about coming here.”

The Anfield boss knows it’s unlikely that the Reds will be back among Europe’s elite next season but he doesn’t fear that will reduce their pulling power as they pursue the likes of Bayern Munich attacker Mario Gotze.

Klopp says he will only look to recruit top-class talent who are motivated by the challenge to help fire the Reds back into the top four. He wants players with the hunger to “push the train” and be part of something special as he plots the club’s revival.

“Obviously, it’s not 100%, but maybe 80% we are not in the Champions League next year,” Klopp said.

“So if I would speak to a player now and he would tell me: ‘if you were playing in the Champions League next year I would be really interested’, I would put the phone down from my side. I am not interested.

“I always tell players if when you are 35 or 36 and look back on your career and you think about the one year when you didn’t play Champions League then you are really a poor boy.

“There are so many things you can do and reach if you go together with the team.

“You can qualify for the Champions League, play Champions League, maybe win it or whatever. It is a much more satisfying thing than all the rest. That is what I would say. It is pushing the train, not jumping on the running train. That is what we need here.

“If somebody says: ‘no, you don’t play Champions League next year’ then goodbye and thank you, have fun next year wherever you will be.

“We will find players or we have players already that will go our way. That is not my way, that is the normal way for a club not playing in the Champions League.”

'It's easy to know I like Gotze'

Klopp has already wrapped up deals for Schalke centre-back Joel Matip and Red Star Belgrade midfielder Marko Grujic and he’s working on strengthening his squad further.

One of his top targets is Gotze, who is known to be interested in a reunion with Klopp after the success they enjoyed together at Borussia Dortmund.

The manager refused to be drawn on the club’s pursuit of the Germany international but, privately, Liverpool believe the presence of Klopp means they could attract someone of Gotze’s calibre - even without the offer of Champions League football.

Asked about Gotze, Klopp said: “It is easy to know I like Mario Gotze. It was not the best day in my life when I heard he was going to Bayern Munich.

“I have known him since he was 16. That is a long trip but he is still a young player. That is the only difference to all the other players around.

“I would never say anything about a transfer, whether we are interested or not. It is not important.

“I speak to you about transfers when they are done and not before.

“You can do with this anything you want but that is not important for me. That is all rumours, speculation and I have nothing to say to things like this.

“We can talk for two hours about Mario Gotze but it would not change a per cent whether he comes here or not or goes wherever.”