Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits the signing of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven will impact what else he can do in the January window.
The club struck an initial £40million (€45m) deal to bring the 23-year-old to Anfield after three days of intense negotiations over Christmas and made their move ahead of schedule to see off competition from rival clubs.
Another forward was not top of their list of priorities as Liverpool's midfield still needs strengthening but their options in that department may be diminished due to their outlay on the Netherlands international.
Borussia Dortmund’s England international Jude Bellingham remains their number one target – although his soaring valuation may ultimately prove prohibitive – but that is likely to be a deal discussed in the summer as the Bundesliga side are unwilling to allow him to leave mid-season.
It means, unless an opportunity which is too good to pass up arises, Klopp may have to wait to bolster his midfield.
"I would say in principle it’s like this for all people in the world: the money you spend has an impact on the money you can spend (in the future). It’s not that it increases it. It has nothing to do with each other.
"We know what we want to do and we will see if we can do it. It’s about money, of course, but it’s more about how it always was – about the right players as we are really happy that we could get Cody.
"He is a young player with a lot of potential. If he would have already been scoring 40 goals in Spain or whatever he would be unaffordable.
"These kind of things, it’s all about timing. Getting these boys at the right moment that they didn’t already score 55 goals per season and stuff like this.
"We were following him, and he always kept making the next steps.
"That’s why we were really convinced. He could always make the next step – and that makes it interesting.
"We believe in our process. When players come here – especially offensive players – they have all made a step forward because of the way we work and the way we can help them. That makes it massively interesting."
Gakpo was one of the stars of the World Cup, scoring in each of the Netherlands' group matches and his versatility across the forward line means he fits the Klopp mould of being a multi-functional player.
However, with the window not officially open until Sunday and Liverpool playing on Monday, it is likely Gakpo’s paperwork will not be completed before they head to Brentford.
"We are obviously very early (in the January market) which is good. There might be a chance for Brentford but not really," added Klopp ahead of the Premier League visit of Leicester.
"1 January is a Bank Holiday but the papers some other people have to sign would have to be done at 12pm on the second, and I’m not too positive that will happen. We will not rush it anyway. Probably Wolves (in the FA Cup on 7 January).
"The position he played most often is obviously the left wing, that is clear, but he can play in different positions. He played for Holland and PSV in different positions, it’s all fine.
"He can play in all positions up front whatever you play. If you play a 4-2-3-1 he can play all four positions. If you play 4-3-3 he can play the wing and 4-4-2 he can play on the wing and the striker position.
"The position he’d probably say himself he prefers to play is the left wing in a 4-3-3, but for us it’s clear he can play in other positions. We know that and that’s what made him so interesting for us."
What did @VirgilvDijk tell Cody Gakpo about the club before the move? 🤔
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 28, 2022
Following his move to Anfield, Gakpo said he had been persuaded to join after speaking with Netherlands and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.
"It was a home run (the negotiations)," Klopp said. "We didn't need Virgil to convince him but he likes to be involved in these things!"
Klopp said there were no new injuries in his squad, but suggested that the injured duo of James Milner and Roberto Firmino, who missed this week's win over Aston Villa, would not recover in time to face Leicester.
He added that France defender Ibrahima Konate, who played in the World Cup final defeat to Argentina, had returned to training and is available for selection.
Liverpool, who are sixth in the league with 25 points from 15 matches, face a Leicester team that were outclassed by Newcastle in a 3-0 defeat on Monday, and Klopp said he expects a reaction from Brendan Rodgers' side.
"They could change their system which makes it more difficult," Klopp said. "But we have to push through what we want to do - it's been a long time since we played at home."
