Jurgen Klopp admits he wanted Liverpool to sign Konrad Laimer before Bayern Munich move | OneFootball

Jurgen Klopp has revealed during the World Cup coverage for Magenta TV that he wanted to sign Konrad Laimer for Liverpool.

Speaking openly as a pundit during Austria’s group stage fixture, the former Anfield boss shared a little-known transfer saga from his time managing the Reds, admitting he missed out on the Austrian midfielder before his eventual move to Germany’s biggest club.

“As for Laimer, I can say this: I would play him as a defensive midfielder,” Klopp told Magenta TV during the World Cup coverage.

“I wanted to bring him to Liverpool to play in that 6 role. But then he went to Bayern.”

Klopp wanted to sign Konrad Laimer as replacement for Fabinho

The timeline of Klopp’s interest aligns with the late summer of 2022, a period when Liverpool desperately required midfield reinforcement.

At the time, longtime midfield anchor Fabinho was suffering a sharp decline in form, exposing the underbelly of Klopp’s side.

The pursuit of Laimer, who was then starring for RB Leipzig, looked like a strategic long-term answer.

Instead of landing the high-pressing Austrian, Liverpool’s failure to secure Laimer forced them into a frantic deadline-day loan move for Arthur Melo, a deal hampered by injuries that yielded just 13 minutes of first-team action.

Laimer stayed with Leipzig for another season before joining Bayern Munich on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.

At Bayern, the 29-year-old has established himself as a versatile squad component, though he has frequently been deployed at right-back rather than the central anchor position Klopp had designed for him.

Laimer is a Liverpool fan by admission

While the transfer never materialized, the connection between the player and Merseyside runs deep.

In quotes carried by the Liverpool Echo, the Austrian footballer has previously admitted his childhood allegiance to the Premier League giants.

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“I’m generally a football fan. I generally like watching the Premier League,” Laimer previously confessed. “I’ve always been a Liverpool fan.”

With Laimer currently representing Austria on the global stage and locked in a modern contract dispute with Bayern Munich ahead of the summer window, Klopp’s comments provide a stark reminder of how a different choice could have altered Liverpool’s midfield transition.