Jurgen Klopp admitted the transfer market is “crazy” has he aimed at dig at Chelsea amid the ongoing battle to sign Moises Caicedo.

The Liverpool boss confirmed on Friday that the club had reached an agreement with Brighton to sign Caicedo for £111m, but Chelsea have not given up on their top target and now appear to be leading the race again.

The Blues are also expected to sign Romeo Lavia, a player Liverpool bid three times for earlier this summer but on each occasion they were knocked back by Southampton.

While much of the focus in recent days has been on Chelsea and Liverpool’s battle to sign their midfield targets, the focus shifted to matters on the pitch on Sunday as it finished 1-1 between the two sides on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Speaking after the match, Mauricio Pochettino made it clear he wanted further additions to his squad before the end of the window, a request that did not surprise Klopp, according to Evening Standard.

Pochettino said: “For me, I will not ask the owners if we have the money. I think we have. But maybe they don’t know. Maybe Jurgen [Klopp] knows. He seems to know our business. More than me!”

“That’s what each Chelsea manager wants and usually they get it,” the German responded.

It remains to be seen whether Liverpool can salvage a deal for Caicedo, but their performance at Stamford Bridge made it clear that a holding midfielder is certainly needed after the departures of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and James Milner this summer.

Alexis Mac Allister started as the deepest of the midfield three against Chelsea, with Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic not yet available as they continue their recoveries from injury.

Klopp said he had “no news” when asked for an update on the club’s pursuit of Caicedo and Lavia, but confirmed that the club remain keen on strengthening.

The Liverpool boss said: “These specific players, you can see in the moment the market is obviously crazy. It’s no secret that we are looking for something like that.”

Tags: Chelsea, Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool, Mauricio Pochettino