Liverpool have been clear on their transfer targets this summer: Virgil Van Dijk, Mo Salah, and Naby Keita. Of that trio, Salah has already signed, while moves for the other two players have hit a hitch, as neither RB Leipzig nor Southampton wish to sell, at any price.
Given that situation, if Liverpool are going to get the signings over the line, they need the players to agitate for the move themselves, to express the desire to play for a bigger club. Van Dijk has already begun this process, as new manager Mauricio Pellegrino - a former Liverpool centre-back - confirmed to the media:
When I was talking with him, the boy said that he is not available to play because he wants to leave. I need to work with a player that works at 100% to defend Southampton.
The irony is that Liverpool have direct experience of this: a glum Luis Suarez trained by himself in 2013 to try and force a move to Arsenal, before hanging around for a year to earn a move to Barcelona, acting on advice from Steven Gerrard.
And the further irony for Liverpool is that they are bracing themselves once again: Barcelona have submitted a £72 million bid for Phil Coutinho, and while there is no suggestion the Brazilian will pull a Suarez/Van Dijk, Klopp has said that he is not for sale at any price.
This summer sums up the strange position Liverpool are in: they will reject all overtures for Coutinho from a bigger club in Barcelona, but to seal the other deals they want, they have to act as Barcelona are doing in relation to them.
Matt Le Tissier summed it all up very well:
Hope Liverpool do the right thing and let Coutinho join Barca so he doesn't have to go on strike, he deserves a move to a club like that 😉
— Matt Le Tissier🌸 (@mattletiss7) July 23, 2017
