Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has warned fans that the Reds cannot treat the January transfer window like a game of Monopoly.
The Merseyside giants have already made one notable winter acquisition in the form of Netherlands attacker Cody Gakpo, who arrived for an initial £37m - potentially rising to £44m - from PSV Eindhoven.
However, Liverpool are facing calls to bring in a new midfielder during the January window after holding off on a big-money move in the engine room during the summer window.
The likes of Enzo Fernandez and Sofyan Amrabat have been mentioned as possible winter targets, with a swoop for Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham unlikely to occur before the summer.
There is currently uncertainty surrounding Liverpool's ownership situation, though, as Fenway Sports Group have confirmed that they are considering selling the club in the coming months.
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Speaking to the media ahead of Monday's Premier League clash with Brentford, Klopp affirmed that his side would always look for the right target in the January window, but financial constraints also have a major part to play in winter spending.
"I am now here seven years and it is every window is pretty much the same; we talk about these things as though money didn't play a role," Klopp told reporters.
"It is never like this. We sign an outstanding player like Cody Gakpo and then you read about the next player. We cannot play like Monopoly. Of course we cannot just spend and never could.
"It is a big part of my philosophy, working full of faith and trust with the players we have and not constantly telling them we need another player in the position.
"It is clear that you need real quality in all positions and two teams with the same level that you can rotate but people are surprised when we say we cannot start splashing the cash. If there is something we can do and that means right player and financial situation, we will do it."
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Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, Adrian and James Milner have now entered the final six months of their contracts, and the quintet are now free to open talks with foreign clubs ahead of a free transfer in the summer.
Arthur was briefly tipped to end his loan spell early and return to Juventus this month - a scenario which has since been ruled out by his agent - and Klopp does not expect much activity regarding outgoings in January.
"That is a different situation, I don't know. Nobody came to me and asked to leave the club, if that should be the case then I would listen but nobody came yet," Klopp responded when questioned on player sales.
Gakpo is eligible to make his Liverpool debut in Monday's game with Brentford after finalizing his transfer on New Year's Day, but the 23-year-old's paperwork is unlikely to be completed in time, and he will likely have to wait until Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Klopp's men enter their first match of 2023 sitting sixth in the Premier League table, and they will leapfrog Tottenham Hotspur into the top five should they take all three points against Brentford.
Ben Knapton
