Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Liverpool couldn't afford to re-sign Philippe Coutinho this summer.
The Brazil international joined Bayern Munich from Barcelona on a season-long loan earlier this week.
Bayern will pay the La Liga champions £7.8m and cover Coutinho's wages during his time at the Allianz Arena.
They also have the option to buy the attacking midfielder outright for a fixed fee of £109.8m next summer.
And Klopp has conceded that Liverpool were priced out of a move for their former star.
"It sounds a bit strange, but we couldn't afford it – we have already spent the cash that we got for him," the German told Goal.
The Liverpool boss also revealed that he didn't want to sell Coutinho to Barcelona in January 2018, but an initial fee of £105m proved too good to turn down.
“We were reluctant to hand him over but Barcelona forced us with money, so to speak.
"The move [to Bayern] makes sense for both sides. He’s a super player and a great boy. He is a world-class footballer who can change games in the right environment."
Liverpool beat Southampton 2-1 on Saturday to maintain their 100 per cent start to the 2019/20 season.
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