When selling Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich, Liverpool previously agreed a transfer add-on that would have seen them receive a financial windfall if the Bavarians won the Champions League

Liverpool’s net spend under owners FSG has always come under scrutiny when compared to our rivals, and the stats show just how impressive Jurgen Klopp has been at Anfield.

Working within a budget was nothing new to Klopp when he arrived in 2015, and he’s consistently acknowledged over the years that Liverpool cannot operate like others in the topflight.

“We cannot spend money we don’t have. We cannot, the others can, but we can’t,” Klopp said back in 2021.

Despite the limits, though, Liverpool have been quite successful under the German and, as we recently noted, you would only have to change four results to see two major trophies turn into six.

The margin has been so very small when it comes to silverware, but Sky Sports’ recent graphic comparing net spend and trophies to the ‘big six’ paints an intriguing picture.

Major trophies vs money spent since Jurgen Klopp's appointment at Liverpool ?? pic.twitter.com/PDWCGgFJxJ

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 5, 2024

Since Klopp arrived in October 2015, Liverpool’s net spend sits at £346 million, the lowest of the ‘big six’ but with the second-most major trophies (seven).

Man City, who face 115 breaches of Premier League financial regulations, have won 15 trophies in the same amount of time but with a net spend of £630 million.

Comparatively, Chelsea and Man United both sit in the £1 billion club but with six and four trophies respectively, while Arsenal won two with a net spend slightly more than Liverpool’s (£702 million).

There’s plenty of nuance within these stats, but it does go to show the incredible job Klopp has done at Liverpool operating within a self-sustaining structure, whilst competing against a financially-doped side.

The squad Klopp inherited had to be rebuilt, and he did it slowly but effectively, making his side greater than the sum of their parts before he could reinvest funds from sales into transfers.

In a different era and as abovementioned with four different results, Liverpool’s trophy tally could look a lot different to what it does, but few other managers could have propelled the club to the heights Klopp has.

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LFC Retail has revealed a new range that features everything from keyrings to signed prints and caps to commemorate Jurgen Klopp's time at Anfield

LFC Retail has revealed a new range that features everything from keyrings to signed prints and caps to commemorate Jurgen Klopp's time at Anfield

Bolo Zenden has spoke about Liverpool's decision to make Arne Slot their next manager

Bolo Zenden has spoke about Liverpool's decision to make Arne Slot their next manager

Reports in Spain have linked Barcelona with a move for Darwin Nunez, with his agent said to have ‘offered’ them Liverpool’s No. 9 this summer.

It has been days of headlines for Nunez after deleting Instagram posts and travelling to Barcelona during the Reds’ small break between games.

It is the latter that has fanned the flames over interest from the Catalan giants, with Spanish outlet Sport – based in Barcelona – reporting Nunez will be considered if Robert Lewandowski departs.

They go on to claim the Uruguayan’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has offered them his client in the eventuality the Pole is offloaded.

Lewandowski has insisted he does not want to leave, but with the 35-year-old’s wages to increase, Barcelona are said to be considering offloading him to ease their financial burdens.

And this is prevalent to any links made between Barcelona and Nunez, with the Spanish side unlikely to be able to meet Liverpool’s transfer fee demands, at the very least.

The Mail‘s Lewis Steele recently stated that there is “no indication” Liverpool are in a hurry to give up on their No. 9 after just two seasons.

As their deal with Benfica could rise to up to £85 million, the club is unlikely to recoup that if they were to sell this summer – with Barcelona certainly not able to match it.

The Catalan side cannot currently meet La Liga’s spending cap and must sell in the summer before they can buy, and Liverpool, now led by Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes, will be well aware if they do come sniffing.

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Nunez reportedly came close to joining Barcelona in 2020 before signing for Benfica, and like many players from South America likely harboured ambitions to play for them or Real Madrid in his youth.

In short, these links are unlikely to stop any time soon, but Barcelona have a lot of financial constraints to overcome if they can even realistically consider Nunez, who is contracted at Anfield until 2028.

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Darwin Nunez has come under scrutiny for his performances in a Liverpool shirt this season

Darwin Nunez has come under scrutiny for his performances in a Liverpool shirt this season

The problem with Liverpool's inability to keep clean sheets this season has been laid bare in Premier League title battle with Man City and Arsenal

The problem with Liverpool's inability to keep clean sheets this season has been laid bare in Premier League title battle with Man City and Arsenal

Dominik Szoboszlai has opened up about his recent struggles for Liverpool and adapting to life in the Premier League

Dominik Szoboszlai has opened up about his recent struggles for Liverpool and adapting to life in the Premier League

Two-hundred and twenty-two days stood between Stefan Bajcetic‘s final match before injury to his first-team return against Tottenham, a long road to recovery that left him praising the club.

After catching the eye and being one of the shining lights from last season, 2023/24 has proved a frustrating one besieged by injury for Bajcetic.

He made just two appearances at the start of the season before being sidelined by what was described as severe ‘growing pains’, forcing him to miss 41 games before returning to the matchday squad.

The club did seek to reintroduce him first at under-21s level, which saw him play three times in April before he came on at Tottenham for his first senior appearance since September.

It is a plan that the 19-year-old praised when speaking to LFCTV: “It was important to start with the U21s first to get my rhythm back a little bit.

“You know how the Premier League is, it’s so quick!

“It was good management by the club and me to play a bit with the U21s to get rhythm. Now I’m ready to step up.”

His first dip back into first-team action, though, was not as smooth as hoped with Jurgen Klopp suggesting it was an oversight to bring him on for 25 minutes against Spurs.

Klopp said: “Stefan who looks really good in training, but (against Tottenham) obviously you saw, he comes on and it’s like you arrive on the motorway with your bicycle.”

A lack of sharpness showed, but the young Spaniard was just happy to be back and is hoping the setbacks are behind him for good.

Bajcetic said: “It’s been a long time. It’s good to be back. I still need to improve a lot, still need to get my rhythm back and keep playing, hopefully.

“I came back and played a couple of games [earlier in the season], but then I was feeling it again.

“So I wanted to recover properly, get stronger in all my body really so that I would not get it back.

“Hopefully, touch wood!”

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Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has recalled how his relationship with Gerard Houllier turned sour while at Aston Villa, where he was banished to the reserves

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has recalled how his relationship with Gerard Houllier turned sour while at Aston Villa, where he was banished to the reserves

Former Liverpool man Boudewijn Zenden has bizarrely quoted the Hollywood blockbuster film Forrest Gump when discussing the imminent arrival of Arne Slot. The Feyenoord boss is set to become Jürgen Klopp's successor at Anfield this summer as he calls an end to his nine-year reign in charge of the club.

While nothing has been confirmed by the club, Slot's arrival after a compensation package was agreed with his current Eredivisie employers now seems inevitable. The former midfielder guided them to the KNVB Cup this season - but failed to secure back-to-back titles following a dominant campaign from PSV Eindhoven.

Despite his exploits in the Netherlands, Slot is somewhat of a mystery to English football. He had previously been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur after Antonio Conte's departure last summer but opted to remain at Feyenoord instead.

READ MORE: 'I can't believe what Jürgen Klopp just did for me - Liverpool boss is right about special club'

READ MORE: Liverpool squad gets Arne Slot insight after Feyenoord boss 'undeniably' improved six players

Slot will now finally make the move to the top flight of English football after the 2023/24 season, with Zenden, also known as Bolo, giving an insight into what fans can expect from the new boss. Speaking to voetbalnieuws.nl, he said: "Someone said: ‘Life is like a box full of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get until you open it", a quote from Forrest Gump.

"A lot is going to change and you never know how that change is going to turn out," he continued. "I guess everyone was a bit surprised when his name came out of the hat. There were a few favourites.

"He likes to play a pressing game from the front, the build-up of an opponent and the earlier you can win the ball back in the opposite half, the closer you are to the opposition goal.

“Anyone taking over from Jürgen Klopp at the minute has a huge job ahead of him. But it will definitely be interesting to see how he deals with these different situations.”

Liverpool.com says: Zenden is right. Anyone taking over from Klopp has a huge task. However, Slot's high-pressing football could be a good fit for this Liverpool squad, who are used to playing this way under Klopp.

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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is preparing to leave Anfield and has expressed the value of winning with the Reds

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is preparing to leave Anfield and has expressed the value of winning with the Reds

Emre Can missed out on winning the Champions League with Liverpool by a single year. He departed on a free transfer at the end of the 2017/18 season, despite Jürgen Klopp being keen to keep him.

In his place, Liverpool signed Fabinho. The Brazilian was credited as one of the truly transformative signings that elevated Klopp's men from contenders to champions.

Meanwhile, Can looked to have made a horrible mistake. His switch to Juventus did not go well at all, and he was excluded from the Champions League squad altogether at the start of his second season, ultimately leaving for Borussia Dortmund in January after 18 months in Turin.

READ MORE: Club reaches agreement with Liverpool 'target' as Man United 'makes final Erik ten Hag decision'

READ MORE: Liverpool talent emulating Thiago and Roberto Firmino after Jürgen Klopp call baffled teammates

Fortunately for him, that transfer has worked out a whole lot better. Can is now the captain at Borussia Dortmund, and while he has had to settle for a couple of 'close seconds' in the Bundesliga, he will now have the chance to right prior Champions League wrongs, having led his side to victory over PSG in the semi-final.

It's easy to forget, but Can did actually feature in that heartbreaking 2018 final for Liverpool, just days before Fabinho arrived and shortly before Can himself departed at the end of his contract. He came off the bench in the 83rd minute, replacing James Milner.

He was also technically a part of the Bayern Munich team that won the tournament in 2013, against his current side Borussia Dortmund. But he did not make the matchday squad for the final, having barely been involved all season.

Speaking to CBS Sports, Can has explained his feelings on those previous finals. He pinpoints what went wrong when he featured for Liverpool in Kyiv:

"It’s very different, I would say, because when I was with Bayern in the final I didn’t play, I was a young guy. I was in the squad but I didn’t play. With Liverpool I was a long time injured, I didn’t play the quarter-final or semi-final.

"Now I am playing all the games and when you play it’s different and it feels different. I am [the] captain of this team and I am very proud. If I talk too much I get emotional."

Can had indeed missed the final seven Premier League games of the season through injury in 2017/18, as well as the latter rounds of the Champions League. Prior to that, he had played at least 70 minutes in eight of the nine European games for which he had been available, including the qualifiers against Hoffenheim.

Would he have started against Real Madrid if fit? Those numbers suggest 'yes', although the fact Can was off at the end of the campaign might have had an impact as well. Either way, barring any late setbacks, he will enter this next Champions League final with full fitness, and as a key member of his team. Best of luck to him.

Liverpool.com says: Liverpool has something of an unhappy habit of facing fitness races for key defensive midfielders ahead of European finals. In 2022, against the same opponent, the same fate befell Fabinho; he was rushed back in from the start, having played no part in the FA Cup final or the last two league matches.

But you can't really make the case that Can's lack of fitness was the difference in 2018, a final that will unfortunately always be remembered for Loris Karius. While Fabinho was an upgrade in midfield, the addition of Alisson was the single biggest difference-maker.

Even so, it's interesting to wonder how that game might have gone if he had started, and indeed how the next few years might have looked if he had stayed. Can has come good on all his potential now, and while the manner in which he left Liverpool was disappointing, he will have plenty of Anfield support at Wembley.

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