Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool may have inadvertently prevented rivals Manchester United from signing one of their reported targets in January.
Liverpool started the new season much stronger than United, as the Merseyside club are currently five points and six places higher in the Premier League table.
A number of new signings have bolstered Klopp’s side, with Dominik Szoboszlai particularly impressive in the opening weeks of the new campaign.
Szoboszlai, 22, joined the Reds for £60million from RB Leipzig in the summer and has already caught the eye with energetic displays in midfield.
The Hungarian’s move to Anfield could prevent one of his former teammates from moving to the Premier League as well. According to Football Insider, RB Leipzig are rejecting January bids for striker Lois Openda after United and other English clubs including Liverpool and Arsenal reported interest.
Openda has already scored five goals and provided two assists in 10 appearances for Leipzig since his summer move from Lens.
Leipzig signed Openda on an initial €43m (£37m) deal after impressing in his sensational debut season in Ligue 1, where he scored 21 goals in 38 appearances.
Leipzig lost a number of key players to the Premier League in the summer window – including Szoboszlai, Josko Guardiol and Christopher Nkunku – who joined Manchester City and Chelsea.
Therefore, the German club does not want to further weaken its squad in January and does not consider selling Openda so soon after his contract. United may have struggled to land the Ecuador international in January. BILD reporter Christian Falk reported that the player’s Leipzig contract has a release clause of more than €80m [£69m] – but not until next year.
“Leipzig is a bit quiet at the moment, because there is no active release clause for Lois Openda next summer,” writes Falk Fabrizio Romano in the Daily Advice.
“It starts in 2025 and I’ve heard it’s a bit more than the €80m reported elsewhere.
“I’m sure clubs like Liverpool are watching him. With Dominik Szoboszlai, you’ve already seen they have an overwhelmingly positive experience with RB Leipzig players. “The stylistic similarity between the two clubs is also remarkable, which obviously benefits Liverpool.”
