Liverpool Transfer News: Jurgen Klopp Talks Roberto Firmino Amid Arsenal Rumours

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has admitted his surprise the Reds only paid £29 million for Roberto Firmino amid rumours he has an £82 million release clause in his contract that does not apply to title rivals Arsenal. 

Per the Mirror's David Maddock, he said:

"

He was a player I thought was one of the best in the Bundesliga.

So when I saw that Liverpool had signed him I thought, 'How could Liverpool do this?' They were not in their 100 per cent best moment and other clubs would have spent more on him, so I thought, immediately, 'What a good transfer for them.'

When I heard about it I thought they had made a good signing, because I felt pretty sure clubs would have paid a lot more for him.

"

According to Football Leaks in Le Soir (h/t the Mirror's Alex Richards), the forward allegedly has an £82 million release clause in his deal that Arsenal are unable to activate—perhaps as a response to the Gunners' attempt to sign Luis Suarez for £40 million and £1 in 2013.

Football journalist Kristof Terreur also relayed as much from Le Soir:

Betting site Paddy Power summarised the reaction to the Reds capturing the Hoffenheim player at the time:

Indeed, even many pundits had little or no knowledge of the player from the mid-table Bundesliga outfit, including Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher:

Firmino has thus far proved an excellent capture, however. He notched 11 goals and 11 assists in all competitions last season, and in 15 outings this year, he has accrued six of each.

According to Squawka, only Dimitri Payet, Kevin De Bruyne and Alexis Sanchez have surpassed his 34 chances created in the Premier League this season.

The versatile Brazilian has often been deployed as a false nine this year, but he can also play on either flank or as an attacking midfielder, and his chemistry with team-mates Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane has helped Liverpool rack up 35 goals this season, more than any other team in the league.

Firmino only turned 25 in October, so there's potential for lots more still to come from him, particularly with Klopp getting the best out of him.

With the Reds harbouring ambitions of challenging for the Premier League title and becoming UEFA Champions League regulars once more, Firmino is the kind of player they need to keep hold of—if he does have such a buyout clause, it should dissuade teams from trying to recruit him.