I get the impression 'move onto another target' means that's it for this window.
I get the impression Klopp had only earmarked one player for midfield, and that was that, no second, third, fourth choice targets. He either gets the player he think will come in and improve the team, or not, instead of 'spending money for the sake of it'.
That's the impression I got. Who knows he may have an Ace up his sleeve. But the longer this goes on, teams will less likely sell, making them panic rush to buy their own replacement.
Up until this point, it's been another disappointedly frustrating summer window, but we're all getting used to that norm now, aren't we.
I think that there are several ways one may look at it.
Adding Salah means that you can rotate, have Coutinho in midfield in some games. Lallana can also play wide or just behind Firmino, and Firmino can also play behind the striker. That is something that gives flexibility. Adding Robertson could also mean that Milner can play in midfield if needed. On paper, that should form a good rotation, but an injury or two and you are in a mess.
These comments if one were being an extreme optimist, would mean that RB Leipzig are looking to milk more cash for their player.
That is the positive spin I can come up with.
The negative in all this is that this is becoming the mode of operation in quite a number of transfers. Reading Honigstein's replies, he said one thing, that the person that has encouraged Liverpool to bid has been the player. This begs the question, when negotiations were ongoing, did Leipzig at any one time give an impression that they were going to sell because Rangnick, Hassenhuttl (Spelling) and now the owner have all come out saying that the player is not for sale, and nothing in Germany (Bild, Kicker, Sportbild) have come out and said that there is a chance that a deal might be struck.
Lastly, you need to plan for an unfortunate outcome. You talk to a player, he wants to come, but the team does not want to sell, or they are asking for money that does not make sense. Would it be wise in this case to simply have one player that you thought was worth getting? Are there no other players in the world that can come in and perform, even with a few tweaks to the system to help the team get the best out of them? The main reason you want to buy for a certain position is because you need a player, or you see a deal that is too good to be true, you do not stand pat and say that it is this player or no one.
If that were the case, there would be no Sadio Mane.
What happens when the big teams are looking to add a midfielder next summer? Barcelona have tried filling the Xavi, Thiago gap with Rakitic, and Andre Gomes, the latter has somewhat struggled. City need to get younger center of the park, if RB Leipzig are really good, why would teams like Bayern and United not be interested in him?
