From The Athletic:
"Werner set Liverpool a separate deadline to make a final decision on whether they were prepared to meet his release clause. Klopp consulted with Fenway Sports Group, then called the striker to explain why the move would not happen. Sources have told The Athletic that the Liverpool manager insisted the reasoning was purely financial, rather than any negative reflection on the player or his proposed role in Kloppâs squad. Werner accepted the explanation and the two men remain on good terms.
FSG does not take money out of Liverpool, but they do expect the club to live within its means. During the COVID-19 shutdown, the message coming from the highest levels at Anfield has been that there will be no major signings in the coming transfer window. The wage bill stands at ÂŁ310 million and when the club reversed its decision to furlough staff in April, chief executive Peter Moore warned of âunprecedented operating lossesâ as a result of the pandemic.
When contacted by The Athletic, Liverpool insisted the decision to pass on Werner was not a financial one. It would, however, have been a vast outlay for a player who would have started his Anfield career as a substitute. Klopp can currently field arguably the most devastating front three in world football, and Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah are all in their prime years.
He had been planning to ease Werner into the starting XI around January 2021, when Africa Cup of Nations commitments were scheduled to occupy Mane and Salah for up to six weeks. But with that competition increasingly likely to be pushed back to 2022 as footballâs schedule adapts to the effects of COVID-19, such expensive and high-calibre squad cover next season is less necessary.
Liverpoolâs withdrawal opened the door for other suitors. Wernerâs representatives re-opened talks with Manchester United and Chelsea."
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