Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was not too impressed when asked after the Crystal Palace match on Saturday about reports linking right back Nathaniel Clyne with a move to Barcelona.
The full back has been in excellent form in recent weeks, and media reports have put two and two together with Barca struggling to replace Dani Alves after the Brazilian’s departure to Juventus in the summer. Klopp used some colourful language and gave the rumour short shrift when told by a reporter about it. He is quoted by the Liverpool Echo as saying:
“That’s a really good sign! Only the big clubs, yes? A few months ago it was like ‘he will go to Aston Villa and try to bring them back to the Premier League’. What can I say? It’s better that they talk about Real Madrid and Barcelona.”
“How many matches have we played? Nine? ****ing hell, nine matches and we talk about all this stuff. Do they want to get them in winter or the next window? Do they think they can buy Clyney in winter? Come on. It’s nice but not important.”
Despite only keeping one clean sheet in the league this season, Clyne has regularly stood out at the back with consistent performances, being solid in defence while providing a threat going forward. It would take a huge fee for the Reds to ever consider a sale, especially in January when it is notoriously hard to buy players that could replace him.
