Wayne Veysey

Sat 14 January 2023 7:12, UK

Liverpool have cash set aside for another box-office January signing and are still working on a potential deal, sources have told Football Insider.

Manager Jurgen Klopp on Friday played down the prospect of the Merseysiders signing a second senior star this month following the early-window £37million Cody Gakpo capture.

But behind the scenes the club’s recruitment team, with the backing of owners Fenway Sports Group, have not given up hope of a late-window signing who can immediately slot into the team.

The club’s priority is recruiting an A-list midfielder and a shortlist of targets have been drawn up, including potential loan-to-buy acquisitions.

But Klopp has had his fingers burned by the flop late-summer signing of Arthur Melo, who has played just 13 minutes of first-team football since his arrival.

Liverpool’s top target is Jude Bellingham and Liverpool have been busy laying the groundwork for what would be a potential club-record deal.

But Borussia Dortmund will not let him go this month and the Merseysiders face intense competition for his signature in any case.

Klopp has made no attempt to hide his desire to bring in a top-level midfielder, with Declan Rice of West Ham another player he admires, while Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo have also caught the attention of Liverpool’s recruitment team.

The club is braced for a major midfield overhaul, with Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner all out of contract at the end of the season.

The Merseysiders are expected to announce club-record revenues for last season, when they chased the quadruple until the final week of the campaign, of more than £550million.

The US-owned giants have subsequently spent £65m rising to £85m on Darwin Nunez, £37m rising to £44m for Capko after already paying a potential £50m for Luis Diaz in January.

But those payouts, as well as deals for the likes of Fabio Carvalho, Calvin Ramsey and Melo, will not stop owners FSG from spending big over the next fortnight if the right deal can be secured.

Liverpool’s most recently published accounts revealed assets of £160.7million, including £31m cash in the bank and £108.9m cash owed to them.

In other news, Kieran Maguire: ‘The bubble has burst’ as £15m Liverpool windfall on the line