One of the potential perils with swimming aggressively in the tempestuous waters of the modern transfer market is that, really, unless you’re Real Madrid or Barcelona, there’s always a bigger fish.

It was a reality Liverpool were emphatically reminded of on Thursday. After weeks of trying to get RB Leipzig to bend on Naby Keita, by looking to show their greater force, Barcelona very quickly put them in the same situation by finally making a bid for long-term target Philippe Coutinho.

It is a frustrating situation that will of course be familiar to Liverpool but the difference this time is that it comes just when they’re trying to get onto a different level themselves.

The amount of money in the Premier League - and particularly that spent so far by neighbours Everton - may have slightly obscured it, but it has gone a little under the radar that Liverpool are looking to bring in two signings that would both completely smash their transfer record in Naby Keita and a centre-half, even if the latter is not to end up as Virgil van Dijk. They could well spend around £200m - and probably need to if they are to properly compete on the two major fronts of the league and Champions League.

A further problem, however, is that any club they are looking to buy from can be further influenced by Liverpool’s own stance on selling Coutinho.

It is something that has already happened a fair bit this summer. There are multiple accounts of Premier League officials noticing media briefings or stories about other moves being done, so whacking up the price when dealing with those same clubs. It is said to have been a factor in Swansea City’s valuation of Gylfi Sigurdsson, and Tottenham Hotspur’s of Kyle Walker.

Leipzig are rich enough to take a strong stance on Naby Keita (Getty)

For their part, RB Leipzig were already wealthy enough to take a very strong stance on Keita. The club obviously don’t need the money, nor are they even used to selling players, and those close to the situation say it seems to have become a point of principle for owner Dietrich Mateschitz and sporting director Ralf Rangnick. They absolutely will not sell and expect Keita to fulfil his contract. The only way anyone can see that changing is if the 22-year-old starts to greatly agitate for a move.

It is much the same for Van Dijk, and for Coutinho.

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In a summer when Liverpool are looking to do this kind of business and so far struggling to get in their primary targets, it would undercut their entire plans to sell the playmaker and also lead to an overwhelmingly negative reaction from supporters, so they have to be as strong with Barcelona as Leipzig are with them. There’s also the fact that £72m is quite a low price in this market, for a 25-year-old playmaker who has just signed a new contract.

It’s going to take much more than that to get him, just as it is likely to take much more from Liverpool to try and make Leipzig see the unavoidable business logic of selling a player like Keita for ludicrous money.

Five Liverpool alternatives to Naby Keita Show all 5 1 /5 Five Liverpool alternatives to Naby Keita Five Liverpool alternatives to Naby Keita Johannes Geis (Schalke 04) Often an unsung hero in Schalke’s engine room, Geis would provide Liverpool’s midfield with some much-needed steel. The 23-year-old managed just a single goal throughout the whole of last season, however that statistic is not overly concerning, with his qualities lying in having the ability to break up play and re-distribute the ball accordingly, as well as from dead ball situations. Klopp has evidently targeted the German market in his bid to reinforce his midfield, and there are few better midfielders with a superior passing repertoire than the former Mainz man, who had a pass accuracy of 79 per cent last season, sometimes as a sole defensive midfielder. Bongarts/Getty Images Five Liverpool alternatives to Naby Keita Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid) Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic has become nothing more than a bit-part player at Real Madrid due to the excellence of Toni Kroos and fellow countryman Luka Modric. The midfielder, who started just 19 games last season, has been able to deliver long-range passes accurately since his Inter Milan days, and has developed his defensive game well when covering for Modric in the Real Madrid set up. Deployed in several positions in Italy, Kovacic is now attempting to establish himself as a deep-lying playmaker, which would make him a suitable option for Liverpool. The Croatian is in desperate need of a move away, and despite interest from Tottenham, Klopp should not hesitate to get his career back on track. Getty Images Five Liverpool alternatives to Naby Keita Grzegorz Krychowiak (PSG) Purchased for a substantial fee last summer from Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Krychowiak has endured a frustrating stint in the French capital. Much like Geis but with a greater physical presence than the German, the Polish midfielder thrives when positioned to challenge and recover the ball in central areas. The stature of the players in the midfields of Liverpool’s title competitors makes the Pole an increasingly attractive option, using his height to win over two aerial duels per game last season. Krychowiak is equally as astute having retrieved the ball, achieving a 92 per cent pass rate last season. The Polish international has been left out of the PSG squad for their pre-season tour, and would therefore not bring about the stalemate that the Merseyside club are currently experiencing with Leipzig. AFP/Getty Images Five Liverpool alternatives to Naby Keita Leon Goretzka (Schalke 04) Goretzka has been heavily linked with Bayern Munich this summer, and his performances last season attracted the attention of suitors in England too. At 6ft 2in, the 22-year-old’s physique has seen him dominate midfield battles, with commensurate tireless work ethic to match. However, if the Confederations Cup was anything to go by, it is potentially the creative side of his game that will most appeal to Klopp. The German drives often from deep, and his five goals last season in addition to the three he bagged in the Confederations Cup demonstrates his ability to score goals from central midfield. Also able to play as an attacking midfielder, the three assists he picked up last season for his club do not reflect his true natural passing qualities. Goretzka, who undoubtedly possess the potential to become a complete midfielder, will be hot property if, as expected, he decides to leave Schalke in the near future. Bongarts/Getty Images Five Liverpool alternatives to Naby Keita Jean Michael Seri (Nice) One of the most coveted midfielders in Europe this season, Jean Seri’s significant role in Nice’s Ligue 1 winning side has drawn interest from Roma, Barcelona, Arsenal and Tottenham. Much like Goretzka, Seri is equally as likely to control the tempo of the match with his wide passing range as he is to maraud forward and create openings with his superb dribbling. His return of ten assists and seven goals last season is superior to the 22-year-old German’s, but the transitional aspect to his play is what has made him so highly coveted, looking equally as assured in shielding the ball under pressure in his own half as he is trying to unlock the opposition’s defence. With a price tag of €40m well within Liverpool’s financial means, Seri could represent the best value for money for Klopp. AFP/Getty Images

The Guinean midfielder’s circumstances are further sharpened by the fact that he has a £48m clause in his contract next summer, but then there are some who feel the Coutinho situation could be similar there too; that he could end up the same as Luis Suarez and be allowed go in a year, but not just while the club are building.