Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes the transfer window is becoming more difficult every year, particularly for Premier League clubs.
The Reds have only landed Mohamed Salah and Dominic Solanke so far ahead of the 2017-18 season and Klopp has called for patience as the club look for further buys.
But while signings may be taking longer than some fans would want, the German remains optimistic that Liverpool start this season with a stronger squad.
Liverpool are looking to build on a fourth-place finish in last season's top flight, a result that puts them in next month's Champions League play-off round.
"The transfer window will be a difficult one, like it always is," Klopp told the club's official website as the players who did not have international duties returned for pre-season.
"Maybe it is getting more difficult, especially in England.
"We have made a lot of good things so far. Even if you cannot see it, you can imagine we have done a lot behind the scenes.
"Sometimes you need to be patient and that is what we are at the moment. We have to wait for the right moment and we will see what happens."
"They’re ready to go. I’m ready to go. It's cool."More from the boss here: July 5, 2017
The draw for the play-off round is under a month away, with Liverpool, who have eight friendlies scheduled to prepare, set to be seeded in the non-champions' qualifying route.
"We all know in a few weeks we have these qualifiers and there will be pressure on the game," added Klopp.
"But now we have the time to prepare this and we have to use the basis we created last year – it was not too bad. We all know it could have been maybe a little bit better but it could have been much worse.
"We are now one of the top four teams in England last season, so now we want to keep this situation and work with it and improve.
"The squad will be stronger than it was last year and I think that is a real reason for optimism."
