Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool manager says club have spoken to transfer targets

Liverpool "have spoken" to transfer targets for next season, says manager Jurgen Klopp.

The Reds are fourth in the Premier League and host Middlesbrough on Sunday (15:00 BST) knowing victory will earn Champions League football next term.

They last played in the competition in 2014-15 after finishing second.

"The world is not full of players who will make us better immediately but clearly there are a few out there," said German Klopp.

"We have spoken to them.

"We have a really good side when our first 11, 12, 13, 14 players are fit."

The Anfield club have reportedly had a £64.6m bid rejected for Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe and been linked with moves for Roma winger Mohamed Salah, Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk and Fulham left-back Ryan Sessegnon.

Liverpool were top of the table in November and in contention for the title at the turn of the year, but injuries to key players - such as Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana - at various stages derailed their challenge.

They suffered a shock defeat by Wolves in the fourth round of the FA Cup in January and were knocked out of the EFL Cup at the semi-final stage by Southampton.

But Klopp, in his first full season in charge after replacing the sacked Brendan Rodgers in October 2015, said a return to Europe's elite club competition by finishing in the top four will be a "successful" campaign.

A third-place finish would earn direct qualification for the group stage, while finishing fourth will mean they would have to contest a two-legged play-off match.

Klopp added: "The Champions League, for different reasons, is a wonderful competition.

"You can earn a lot of money there - that is money we did not have last year. That is very interesting and is one part of it, but we are already in a good position.

"We are a club without financial problems and we have money to spend, but it makes sense to think before we spend and that is what we are doing."