Liverpool have made an exciting start to their summer recruitment drive, but there is also a growing sense of what might have been for Jurgen Klopp after the market formally reopened.
Despite shelving initial plans to target England sensation Jude Bellingham - due to the financial costs involved - the Reds have got the ball rolling as they aim to revamp their midfield blueprint. Argentina playmaker Alexis Mac Allister is through the door and it might only be a matter of time before the 24-year-old is followed up on.
His arrival for an undisclosed fee even preceded the Premier League window. However, as that particular milestone and countdown to next season passed, there was a quite notable development elsewhere.
After watching Bellingham complete his not-so-secret move to Real Madrid for an initial £88m plus add-ons, it was St. James' Park and Newcastle United who took centre stage on Wednesday afternoon when shock reports came to the fore. Nicolo Barella - a midfielder Klopp loves - is on his way to the north east in an eye-catching £50m deal.
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Reports from The Telegraph indicate Newcastle are "pushing hard" to get that transfer over the line. Barella, 26, has earned rave reviews for his performances with Inter Milan over the past few seasons and he appeared for them in a Champions League showpiece only four days ago - falling to defeat vs treble-winners Manchester City.
Newcastle-bound Barella is no stranger to Klopp - who might have welcomed him to Anfield in an ideal world - as the German waxed lyrical about him not so long ago when he was unable to play against his Liverpool team. Klopp said: "[The news] That Barella is not able to play is not bad for us.
"He's a really good player. He's a really good player and I like him a lot."
Klopp added: "He has all the things you want from a midfield player; he is aggressive, he is technical, he can run for ages and all these kinds of things. A top-class player."
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