Liverpool are claimed to have begun “formal talks” over a deal for Porto midfielder Alan Varela, with interest dating back to his time in Argentina.

While the Reds are yet to appoint their next manager, work will be going on behind the scenes when it comes to reshaping the squad for next season.

One such target, it appears, could be Varela, the 22-year-old defensive midfielder who has shone since making the move to Porto last summer.

According to Argentine journalist Luis Fregossi, Liverpool have entered “formal talks” with Porto over a deal that would land the player’s former club, Boca Juniors, a 20 percent payout.

El @LFC inició charlas formales con @FCPorto por Alan Varela. Los RED son el equipo que más cerca está de contratar al ex volante de Boca .
Al xeneize le ingresara el 20 % de la venta que ,seguramente ,se concretará en junio. Más detalles en @mundobocaradio a las 23 x @RBA1350am pic.twitter.com/xdDTVcMDbN

— Luis Fregossi (@LuisFregossi) April 19, 2024

Varela has a release clause in his contract worth €70 million (£60.4m), which would see Boca receive €14 million (£12.1m).

Liverpool are said to be “closest to hiring” Varela, who “already knows what contract he would have” if he were to make the switch to Anfield – which, Fregossi claims, would “surely take place in June.”

It is not the first time Liverpool have been linked with the Argentine, and in fact they have been tracking his progress for years.

Scouts were reported to have been in attendance for a number of Boca Juniors fixtures in 2023, prior to Varela’s €11 million switch to Porto last summer.

Scouts have watched him in Portugal

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They have monitored his performances since, with Portuguese newspaper O Jogo claiming earlier this month that scouts watched Porto’s 2-1 defeat to Vitoria SC.

Liverpool are not alone in their interest, of course, with Man City, Man United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund all linked.

But Fregossi’s updates are certainly intriguing, with a further addition in midfield likely as Thiago prepares to depart at the end of the season.

Varela is a natural No. 6 who is particularly comfortable in possession, with FBref listing him in the 92nd percentile for pass completion among midfielders across the top 15 leagues in football.

Crucially, the Argentina U23 midfielder has a perfect record when it comes to injuries, with his only absence reported by Transfermarkt due to COVID-19 quarantine in 2021, when he missed two games for Boca Juniors.

A new team of sporting director Richard Hughes and assistant David Woodfine are coordinating with Fenway Sports Group’s CEO of Football Michael Edwards and Liverpool’s recruitment staff when it comes to targets this summer.

Many of those will be long-standing, as the club shifts back to a data-led process after conceding power to Jurgen Klopp in recent seasons.

Portugal will be considered a key market, particularly with Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim the front-runner to take over from Klopp – and Varela has now proved himself capable of stepping up.

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Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold insists the squad plan to “throw everything” at their final six matches of the season as they try to finish Jurgen Klopp‘s final season on a high.

Only a month ago the talk was still of an unprecedented quadruple with the Carabao Cup already in the trophy cabinet but FA Cup and Europa League exits, plus a slip-up in the league, has left them with just one focus.

The task of overhauling Manchester City‘s two-point advantage, and also getting ahead of Arsenal, is not an inconsiderable one but Alexander-Arnold said in the aftermath of their Europa League exit to Atalanta despite a 1-0 victory in Bergamo that the players had spoken about what remained of their campaign.

“After the game we spoke quite positively about the rest of the season. We’ve got a month left and we need to give it everything,” said the England international.

“That’s what we are going to do, we are going to throw everything at it and try to do all that we can.

“We know it’s not in our hands any more but we need to be as good as possible and just be in the best position that we can to capitalise if teams do slip up.”

Against Atalanta Alexander-Arnold made his first start since mid-February following a knee injury and in the first half in particular looked like he had never been away, dictating play after being given licence to roam from his nominal right-back position.

The team faded in the second half and the 25-year-old was withdrawn after 72 minutes but he will have a key part to play in the last six matches.

• READ: Klopp: ‘Alexander-Arnold and Jota give us a chance for the title’

“I think I just ran out of juice in the second half but in the first half I was enjoying my football, finding passes, playing the game I love,” he told the club’s official website.

“I think you can tell by the way I played it was special for me to be back out there and help the team win the game.”

Liverpool head to Fulham on Sunday with the chance to overtake City, who play in the FA Cup semi-final, before a Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park in midweek and then a trip to West Ham.

“We have got a huge game that we need to go and win,” added Alexander-Arnold.

“We have got a very difficult week ahead of us, three away games that we need to win and get results in and that’s our aim now.”

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota gives their title hopes a much-needed boost.

Defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend saw Klopp’s side drop to third as Manchester City moved into a two-point lead at the top of the table.

But with results faltering, the performance by Alexander-Arnold in the Europa League win over Atalanta, particularly in the first half, has offered renewed hope.

The defender was making his first start since mid-February after a knee injury and, while Jota has yet to have the same impact in three relatively short substitute appearances after a similar two-month lay-off, the clinical nature of his game could offset some of the deficiencies currently being experienced by his fellow forwards.

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“We need Trent Alexander-Arnold, of course, but we need him in a really good shape and form and that’s what he has to get up to,” said Klopp ahead of the trip to Fulham.

“It’s not about him and it’s not his fault if he wouldn’t be, it’s just the situation. So how quick can we get him rolling if you want – the same for Diogo.

“We have to find a way to help the boys in the best way, to bring them as quick as possible into their best form or shape and from there we have to go.

“Without them we wouldn’t have a chance. With them we have a chance, with them in a really good football moment the chance gets bigger and bigger.”

“We can make it still an outstanding season”

Klopp remains positive about their chances despite recent failures and feels six wins could see them snatch the title from the grasp of their rivals.

Although a Europa League exit on aggregate was disappointing there were positives to take from the game.

Alexander-Arnold’s display, drifting infield to dictate play and even popping up in the centre-forward’s position on occasions in Bergamo, was one and a first clean sheet in 10 matches was another.

With struggles up front continuing – Liverpool have scored only two goals in the opening 15 minutes in a league game this season – a more solid backline offers a better platform and that is why Klopp is optimistic.

“I don’t have a lot of qualities but I am always completely honest. If I don’t feel great the players feel it pretty quickly,” he said.

“I cannot really deny or just keep it under the carpet so that means after the game against Palace people ask ‘what do you tell the team now?’.

“But here we are a few days later and I feel absolutely great, I see the good in the situation where we are. It is fantastic.

“The boys know that I don’t tell them things which I don’t believe in and I am 100 percent sure we can really win all of the games we will have to from now on.

“What should influence us more: the last game, the last week or is it the chance in front of us?

“I am fully [of the opinion] that there is a next chance for us and we can turn things absolutely around in all departments. We can make it still an outstanding season.

“It will be a good season but of course how you look at it is in the end is massively influenced by the last part of it.”

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Being a pivotal part of a side competing at the very top doesn’t have to involve being a permanent fixture in the starting lineup every week, just ask Harvey Elliott.

Injuries and the general strains of another relentless campaign across the competitions has seen Jurgen Klopp turn to a total of 35 players to get himself and his players to the business end.

One man who sits towards the top of the list as far as 2023/24 appearances are concerned is Elliott, but his impact has largely been restricted to being called upon from the substitutes bench.

Only Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez have pulled on the red shirt more times so far this season, but just 22 of the 21-year-old’s 47 outings to date have come from the start.

Yet, there isn’t a Liverpool supporter with a working set of eyes who would try to argue that Elliott hasn’t been one of the most significant contributors to the side’s somewhat surprising return to the top end ahead of the schedule many had pictured.

Diamond in the rough

It oughtn’t come as a shock that the manager has placed immense trust in the player his assistant, Pepijn Lijnders, once described as the Reds’ “little diamond.”

Elliott also featured 46 times during the rollercoaster that was season 2022/23, bouncing back admirably from the injury that blighted his hopes of a similar role during the previous season’s quadruple assault.

He forged himself a regular starting spot at the tender age of 18 before his career-threatening setback at Elland Road in September 2021, but he had time on his side and his unwavering spirit ensured it would not define him.

Now, we’re looking at a player who has produced as consistently as any other player at Klopp’s disposal this season, a player who has refused to let his relative lack of starting minutes affect him negatively in any way.

If you took any fan from a matchday crowd and handed them Elliott’s role in the side, that person would cherish every second on the pitch and give their heart and soul for the opportunity.

You sense that is exactly how Liverpool’s No. 19 is treating the situation. He is, after all, a boyhood fan and is living the dream of all of us, all while demonstrating the exact blend of passion and quality we crave from every senior player.

He plays like a fan would with his ability, what more could we truly ask for?

A fan in a player’s body

There isn’t a hint of ego despite his unquestionable talent, and one would imagine he is acutely aware that, at 21, there is still plenty of time to carve out the exact role he wants.

It is easy to forget just how young 21 is, particularly when that player has already surpassed a century of appearance for the team he grew up following.

During a season in which the youngsters around him have been asked to step up in situations they never dreamed of finding themselves in, Elliott has often looked like one of the experienced heads, which is obscene to even think about.

Somehow his qualities were brought into question this time 12 months ago, and although our memories as football fans can often be short, it is something that cannot be denied.

His physical attributes are the only lingering doubt remaining among the Liverpool faithful, but so far he has more than accounted for it with his sheer commitment to the cause and relentless volume of work.

While those who wrote him off despite his age and the mitigation that stemmed from his misfortune at Leeds, there is still one man he will be desperate to continue to capture the attention of between now and the finish line.

Liverpool put themselves firmly behind the eight ball as far as their treble ambitions were concerned when they fell to defeat at Anfield twice in four days, failing to register a goal in 180 of perhaps the most agonising minutes we have witnessed so far in this campaign.

Atalanta was Elliott’s first start in six since the humdinger against Man City a month earlier, but he was once again forced to watch the opening 82 minutes from the substitutes bench as the Reds handed the title race initiative to Arsenal (who later passed it on to Man City) with defeat at home to Crystal Palace.

What next?

Klopp has typically been a manager who rewards those who step up when required, at what point can Elliott expect that privilege to be extended to him with a greater role, and would that actually be of benefit to him?

One might argue that 2,337 minutes is a perfectly sufficient return given what the midfielder has been through with his fitness and the fact he is still very much in the infancy of his career.

While a relative lack of physicality is something that continues to be levelled at him, others had previously raised questions about whether he has a natural position in Klopp’s 4-3-3 system.

A new manager will undoubtedly bring fresh ideas, and he may also opt to play with a formation that better fits Elliott’s capabilities.

His impact off the bench has been unquestionable, but that has simultaneously fed into the notion that this might be the most effective way of utilising Elliott at this point in time.

The boss insisted back in February that his status as a super-sub won’t stick with him forever, but his ability to change games and give a new dimension to the midfield make him an ideal option when Liverpool need something a little different.

Footballers of Elliott’s quality want to start games, and his performances have almost certainly warranted more minutes than the eight he was handed against Crystal Palace (plus the frankly laughable seven minutes added on by the fourth official).

Whether that translates to more starts in the new era of the football club that will begin next season remains to be seen, but stiff competition and his own brilliance off the bench will be a factor in determining the part he will play under the new manager, whoever that may be.

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One win in the last four across all competitions and now Liverpool, realistically, need to win all six of their remaining games for a title chance – but how can they do that?

Jurgen Klopp attempted an optimistic spin after Liverpool were knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday, proclaiming his side was back to “winning ways” after their 1-0 victory.

Not a lie, but not exactly reflective of the Reds’ current form, which has seen the Reds lose twice, win one and draw one in their last four outings, keeping a clean sheet in just one.

Liverpool are currently two points behind Man City in the league and will need to be perfect in the last six if they are to capitalise on any misstep, which is far from guaranteed.

But if Klopp is to stand a chance of leading his side to six wins on the bounce, these are five things that must happen…

Finish off the chances!

Across the last four games, Liverpool have had 78 shots on goal with a return of a measly three goals – two of which were from the penalty spot.

Adding to that, the team have also missed 14 big chances in that time – it’s a staggering number at a time when the margins are so slim.

If you want to take a positive, at least the Reds are creating chances, but as we’ve seen, that stands for nothing if they are not converted.

Simply put, Klopp needs to help his forwards rediscover their ruthless streak and that starts by not trying to walk the ball into the back of the net like the Arsenal sides of old.

Keep it simple, take the shot when it’s there and, hopefully, confidence can build from there.

Keep it clean at the other end

The clean sheet at Atalanta was the first since the trip to Nottingham Forest at the start of March, a run which has only increased the pressure on the forwards to seize their chances.

We’ve gone into games knowing the other team are highly likely to score and immediately that means Liverpool need at least two, hardly conducive to taking the weight off every chance and shot on goal.

One feeds into the other, and if Liverpool can build from a position of strength at the back, it will feed through the rest of the side and help conserve energy, both psychically and mentally.

Alisson‘s return is timely in this pursuit.

Use the squad

Exhausted, fatigued and on their last legs, we’ve heard it all of late as Liverpool limp to the end of the season – the injuries have finally taken their toll.

However, Klopp has more options at his disposal and it is about time he used them.

Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott are two obvious candidates who can add impetus in the attacking phases, and it’s a surprise Jayden Danns has been cast aside in recent weeks.

Ryan Gravenberch doesn’t seem to have Klopp’s full trust, but you can only play players into the ground so much before we see the lapses and lack of tracking runs that have got us in this current predicament.

It’s one thing to have faith in a select group to turn it around, but Klopp’s strength this season has been using his bench and rotating, he can’t stop that now.

Be at home on the road

Four of Liverpool’s remaining six games are away from Anfield, with trips to Fulham, Everton, West Ham and Aston Villa still to come.

Three come in the space of seven days, and it is a run that will determine if there is anything left to fight for by the time we return to Anfield to face Tottenham on May 5.

Only Arsenal (33 points) and City (32) have a better away record in the league this season than Liverpool (29), and Klopp’s side have conceded the second-fewest goals on the road to date.

Liverpool are going to have to find home comforts where they can on the road, and starting on the right note at Fulham is pivotal.

Don’t forget how they’ve got here

It has been easy to be dragged into the negative emotions of throwing away a shot at the FA Cup and Europa League, but nothing can be done about that now.

Liverpool do, however, still have a shot at the Premier League title and it’s important the team and fans remember that they find themselves in this position for a reason and to make the most of it.

This team is capable of going on a run, and while it may feel incredibly unlikely right now, talent does not disappear overnight.

We have only six games left in the season, six ever with Klopp and one last push is all that is being asked of the squad. Over to you, Liverpool.

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Attention has quickly moved on to the last six league games of the season, but Friday’s news also brings the latest on the manager search and links to two defenders.

Admirers of Barcelona teenager

There have been a host of links to defenders for some time now, with it an area Liverpool need to invest in over the summer.

Barcelona’s Mikayil Faye, a 19-year-old capable of playing as a centre-back and left-back, is currently plying his trade for the ‘B’ team and has his admirers.

Liverpool are said to be one of them. The source, sadly, is not the strongest but they do have ties to Barcelona, with Spain’s Mundo Deportivo, via Sport Witness, claiming the club are ‘pushing’ for Faye, as are Man United.

Barcelona need to raise funds in the summer, and with Xavi leaving there is plenty of uncertainty, something clubs like Liverpool would be well aware of.

It seems unlikely anything comes of this for the Reds, if the interest is in fact real, but signings for the defence will be expected in the months to come.

4 things today: Manager talk and need to be perfect

• Jurgen Klopp knows Liverpool will have to be “close to perfect” if they’re to have any hopes of the title – can the Reds win six in a row? It’d be our third-longest streak

• If there was a small chance of Julian Nagelsmann taking over at Anfield, it’s over as he’s signed an extension with Germany – Liverpool are ready to be “brave over popular” in their search

• Klopp is “not concerned” by Mohamed Salah‘s lack of current goal threat and he’s not eager to make “a big story of it” – we’d love a big showing on Sunday!

Latest Liverpool FC news

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• Marco Silva senses Liverpool can be quite “emotional” in their fixtures and is ready for Fulham to make “life really difficult” for Klopp’s side – we’d rather the Cottagers headed to the beach early!

• Ryan Gravenberch is on Galatasaray’s radar for the summer, but that’s according to the very questionable Turkish outlet Fotomac

• Liverpool are to ‘investigate’ an official sponsor for reselling Anfield tickets for more than £1,000 – it’s outrageous money (Spirit of Shankly)

• Liverpool are one team ‘contemplating’ making a move for Chelsea‘s Levi Colwill, we were interested last summer but we are sceptical of the source on this one (GIVEMESPORT)

Latest news from elsewhere

• The decision to scrap FA Cup replays has received plenty of backlash, and the FA have defended the controversial move and insisted they did consult various shareholders

• Man City‘s Phil Foden has said “it’s a shame Jurgen Klopp is leaving” as he likes “to play against the best” – it’s just not going to be the same, is it? (Mail)

• The Premier League are now all but certain to miss out on a fifth Champions League spot after four teams bowed out of European competition this week – means Spurs need results!

Tweet of the day

If you’re in need of a pick-me-up that has nothing to do with Liverpool, this may do the trick. One for the slightly ‘older’ generation this…

I know 'you will absolutely never guess who gets out of this car' is overdone, but I swear to god you will absolutely never guess who gets out of that car https://t.co/taMFoSdc7X

— Chris Deeley (@ThatChris1209) April 19, 2024

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Fulham have a “sensational” player who Liverpool need to be worried about this weekend, but the Reds are still being backed to win handsomely.

Jurgen Klopp‘s side head to Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon, knowing that anything other than a win would feel demoralising.

Liverpool take on a Fulham side with little to play for between now and the end of the season, but they are capable of being a big threat on their day.

The Cottagers have already won at home to Arsenal this season and another below-par Reds performance could easily lead to a bad result.

Ahead of Sunday’s match, Henry Jackson spoke to Fulham fan and journalist Kyle Bonn (@the_bonnfire) to discuss the season to date, the weekend clash and much more.

Since we last spoke in December, have things got better or worse?

Things have stayed about the same, which is a good thing!

There are still major holes in midfield that must be addressed in the summer, but the emergence of Rodrigo Muniz up front has been sensational.

Replacing Aleksandar Mitrovic with an academy product is something nobody saw coming, and it saves the club a boatload of money they can spend at other positions.

There have been some great results and some awful performances, but that will happen in today’s Premier League.

Overall, it’s a positive end to the season to not be part of the relegation battle, even if Fulham seem to have headed to the beach a bit earlier than we would have liked.

Who have been Fulham’s best and worst players this season?

Incredibly, Willian and Bobby Reid have been great yet again, despite both being over 30 years old. Their contributions have been huge to keeping this club afloat and pushing it forward.

Bernd Leno hasn’t quite been able to recreate his season-long heroics from last year, but he’s done just fine, and the emergence of Muniz has been a wonderful bonus.

Alex Iwobi has been wonderful in his first season as a low-risk, high-reward signing, while the emergence of Tosin Adarabioyo has been massive.

The club has a number of valuable assets that they can hopefully cash in on in the near future, such as Tosin, Joao Palhinha and Antonee Robinson, and reinvest accurately.

On the flip side, the midfield has been a mess. Palhinha may leave this summer if Bayern Munich are still interested, and there are very few remaining assets in the middle who inspire confidence in next season.

Is Silva still the right man for the job?

Marco Silva is absolutely the man for the job.

The list of players who have overperformed anyone’s expectations for them under Silva grows by the month.

He is tactically adept and has the versatility to adapt as a season goes on. He can navigate an injury crisis well and he can develop talent and get the most out of mediocre players.

There is no coaching search at Craven Cottage this summer, and rightly so.

How do you assess Liverpool’s title hopes?

Oh my. We were all counting on you and Arsenal to give us something different, but you both botched it!

Man City winning another title would be the biggest bore, but sadly, it has that same feeling of inevitability as when they finally passed Arsenal last season.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, it feels as if the Gunners are better equipped to challenge City than you are, given the massive injuries Jurgen Klopp has been forced to navigate.

The more Liverpool played with fire late in games, the more it felt like this slip was inevitable.

Given the injuries and other squad constraints, the job Klopp has done this season is nothing short of remarkable, but it feels as if there are too many roadblocks to the Premier League title.

The one thing going for them is if they are eliminated from the Europa League, they won’t have to worry about navigating European football at the same time down the stretch, which does matter.

Who would you like to see win the league?

Anyone but City at this point – let’s have some fun shall we?

There is no reason to have the same nation-state-owned club winning every year.

From a neutral, journalistic point of view, either Arsenal or Liverpool winning would provide plenty of interesting storylines, but I think I’ve had enough of City for now.

As for Sunday, where will the key battles take place?

For Fulham, it always starts with Pahlinha, who needs to be a rock in the middle against Liverpool’s exceptional transitional play.

Robinson and Timothy Castagne (Kenny Tete? Probably not) will have their hands full on the outside and need to limit the times they are beaten one-on-one.

Going forward, if Pereira doesn’t have it through the middle, which is usually a coin flip, they will need to rely on Iwobi to run transitions and create danger in the attacking third.

This game has the potential to be a track meet just like it was in the reverse fixture which ended 4-3.

Fulham put in a fantastic shift that match and Liverpool will have to be far sturdier to avoid another slip in the title chase.

Still, if they bang one in early, Fulham have the potential to collapse, especially now that their season is essentially over.

If you could only have one Liverpool player at Fulham, who would it be?

Oh man, where to start?

It’s got to be Alexis Mac Allister, who I’ve repeatedly yelled about being far too underrated as a ‘Signing of the Season’ candidate.

The Argentine is just 25 years old and has been exceptional all year long in both phases of play – a true No. 8 star in midfield.

Watching the difference between Liverpool last season and this season starts and ends with the influence of Mac Allister in midfield.

Of course, Mohamed Salah is a star, but the way Mac Allister has single-handedly turned around Liverpool’s midfield — which was swiss cheese last season — has put stars (and dollar signs) in my eyes.

Finally, what’s your prediction?

Fulham have been so inconsistent over the past two months that it’s been tough to predict which version of the Whites will show up, but as the end of the season nears, they’ve been more and more mentally soft.

If Liverpool can crack the lid off the goal early, they have the potential to run away with this. With the club having suffered a few adverse results of late, it will be hard to keep them down for long.

Liverpool should come away as 3-1 or 4-1 winners in the end.

Of course, if Willian scores a stunner and Pereira has one of his trademark masterclasses, and Liverpool miss a few chances (which they’re prone to lately), it could end very differently.

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Liverpool’s search for a new manager has the club resolved to be “brave over popular” with their appointment, with three candidates already ruled out.

The narrative of Liverpool’s hunt for a successor to Jurgen Klopp has already taken a number of turns since the news of his resignation in January.

Xabi Alonso became the immediate favourite for the job, but the club kept their own counsel when it came to rumours, with the confirmation that he would stay at Bayer Leverkusen seemingly less of a shock to them.

Brighton‘s Roberto De Zerbi was another early front-runner, but it is now widely reported that he is not under consideration.

Friday brought the news that Julian Nagelsmann has extended his contract as Germany manager, while earlier in the week, ex-Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac publicly dismissed claims he was in the running.

Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim is now the overwhelming favourite, but The Athletic‘s David Ornstein insists Liverpool are “prepared to be brave over popular” with their choice.

Amorim, he insists, is “not a shoo-in” for the job, which indicates that, at least where the media is concerned, no decision has been made yet.

The notion of being “brave over popular” could lead Liverpool to a shock candidate, though from an outside perspective there seem few viable options.

It has been maintained that, benefiting from the input of director of research William Spearman and new arrivals Michael Edwards (CEO of Football) and Richard Hughes (sporting director), the search will be data-led.

Whether that could lead them to a left-field target such as Bournemouth‘s Gary O’Neil, for example, would certainly fit into the “brave over popular” mantra.

O’Neil is now fourth-favourite among bookmakers, behind only Amorim, De Zerbi and Bologna manager Thiago Motta, but there would be major question marks over his credentials.

Interestingly, odds have shortened in recent days when it comes to Feyenoord boss Arne Slot, while Thomas Tuchel, Unai Emery and Vitor Pereira, who currently coach of Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab, are also deemed in the frame.

Sources in Portugal have been adamant that Amorim is the primary candidate and even that talks had progressed with the 39-year-old’s representatives.

But perhaps the key takeaway when it comes to Ornstein’s update is that, when it comes to Liverpool’s new manager pursuit, the club are simply giving nothing away.

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp remains positive about their place in the title race and still believes if they win all remaining six matches they will be Premier League champions again.

A difficult run of results – starting with a draw at Manchester United and followed by home defeats to Atalanta and Crystal Palace – ended with a 1-0 Europa League victory in Bergamo but that could not prevent their exit from the Europa League 3-1 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage.

A first clean sheet in 10 matches was a boost to confidence, especially as they continue to struggle to find their best form at the other end of the pitch, and Klopp thinks the two-point gap to leaders Manchester City can be overhauled with a perfect run in.

“It’s not obviously in our hands, it is not about that,” said Klopp.

“I think if we would win all our games there is a good chance we will be champion. If not there is a good chance someone else will be champion.

“Maybe we only have to win five, but nobody knows. Who would have thought that Arsenal lose against Aston Villa?

“We all sit here and think ‘OK, yeah. City will win all their games’ and that’s happened quite frequently, but they have a lot of games to play and difficult opponents as well.

“We don’t think about that. We don’t think about them. It is just how can we make sure we start winning games again.”

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Over the course of their recent rivalry, Liverpool have had a couple of seasons where the race to the line with City has seen them miss out by just a point despite matching each other win-for-win for the majority of the run in.

But Klopp said that experience was not necessarily as positive as onlookers may believe.

“When we were in the position we didn’t win the league in the end. We lost by a point and stuff like that. What kind of experience is that?” he added.

“We know how to get there – and then don’t [win]. It’s not about that.

“It’s good to know that you are good and you can cause other teams problems.

“But the thing is clear: if you want to be champion in the Premier League you have to be close to perfect and if you are not perfect you have to deal with the setbacks in the best possible way or in a perfect way.

“That is what we are now doing. We had a setback week with three games we didn’t like too much, the results especially, and now we have to start turning it around.”

Key to turning things around will be a change in fortunes in front of goal.

Three goals in their last four matches has stalled their progress with the forwards failing to take numerous opportunities they have created.

Mohamed Salah, whom Klopp defended after he missed a key chance to make it 2-0 against Atalanta, has scored six – two of which were penalties – in 11 matches since returning from two months out with a hamstring injury.

Luis Diaz has two in eight games, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo have just one in their last seven, while Diogo Jota has yet to find the net in three appearances since returning injury.

“We had good moments and had an awful lot of chances, and didn’t use one of them more of less,” said Klopp.

“That’s not great but the worst thing in football is not to have chances. It is better you deal with chances you miss than you have no chances.

“That’s why I’m absolutely positive and after processing things properly, yeah, I’m more than happy with the situation.”

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