Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says his side would be buying a center back if this transfer window happened in any other season.
The coronavirus pandemic, however, means the Reds may not be able to add to a center back corps which is without Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez on a long-term basis.
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“No, I cannot say definitely we will not bring anyone in, it’s just not likely because of the situation in the world,” Klopp said, via LiverpoolFC.com. “If the world would be in a ‘normal’ place, let me say it like this, everything would be fine: We won the league, won the Champions League, the club is in the best possible situation, and then you have three senior centre-halves plus Fabinho plus kids, and the three senior centre-halves are all injured - is that a situation where usually we would do something? Yes, definitely.”
“But we are not in that situation so I don’t know if something will happen or not. What I said about it, you maybe could do something but it would be kind of a short-term solution - and we don’t have that short-term solution - but that’s not right because it doesn’t help really. Then we have to deal with the situation how we did it so far and have to get through this. It’s not the best moment for the whole planet, so why should it be for a football club?”
Meanwhile, Klopp and Liverpool have learned that Aston Villa is hopeful they can stage their FA Cup tie at Aston Villa after an COVID-19 outbreak amongst the Villa Park set.
As reported earlier Thursday, “a large number of first team players and staff” tested positive for the coronavirus and the club has closed its training ground.
Villa says it is working closely with the Football Association “to try to ensure that the club’s Third Round Proper fixture with Liverpool can go ahead as planned at Villa Park [Friday] evening.”
Southampton’s cup game against Shrewsbury at St. Mary’s on Sunday was also called off Thursday after a number of the visitors tested positive for coronavirus.
The Premier League announced on Tuesday its own season-high number of COVID-19 cases from last week’s rounds of testing.
Liverpool won’t have Naby Keita, Joel Matip, and Diogo Jota due to injury for the match if it goes ahead in Birmingham.