Klopp: “with smart recruitment we will improve - definitely. That is the plan.”

Klopp believes "smart recruitment" can be the catalyst to get Liverpool competing for major honours again

Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham remains the club's primary target this summer with the Bundesliga side set to demand a fee well in excess of £100m

Chelsea duo Conor Gallagher and Mason Mount are also under consideration in the recruitment department

Midfield remains the priority for Klopp and his staff to work on this summer

Klopp:

"The difference is whatever we do next year will never be enough from people’s point of view and your point of view (the media)," Klopp said. "But yes, with smart recruitment we will improve - definitely. That is the plan.

"It is one of these moments where it is really not good that I am not native because I can’t explain it better in English. You get in this whirlwind and it sucks you in that direction. And all of a sudden it's like: 'Wow, where are we?'

"I am not a worse manager than last year, definitely not. It doesn’t mean the outcome is good enough, not at all. But I'm not worse - and the players are not worse players. They just play worse. That's definitely the case.

"We cannot make 24 changes [this summer] and say 'here we go'- not even 10 - but it is just that we have to make changes - smart changes - and then we go again. We have other moments when we think about what happens next year, but this is not the moment."