Jurgen Klopp Suggests 'Outstanding' Gareth Bale Too Expensive for Liverpool

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hailed Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale as an outstanding talent but suggested the Welshman is too expensive for his club.

Former Liverpool star Paul Ince recently appeared on BBC 5 Live Sport and said he would like to see Bale at his old club. It's assumed Klopp was referring to those comments when he spoke to Sky Sports News:

Ince said the Reds should bring former Tottenham Hotspur star Bale back to the Premier League if they can afford him, but Klopp dismissed the move as out of reach:

"These fantastic football players have some strange ideas really. What can I say? I respect them all so much ... but probably they only say these things because somebody asked them. ...

"Bale is a player for Real Madrid, and if he leaves it will be outstandingly expensive and big wages. ... He is a really outstanding player, I like him a lot ... but it is not about him. It's about all these players. You have to create a team. A team is not an addition or summary or collection of individual players ... they have to work together."

The Telegraph's Matt Law wrote that Bale, 30, stands to earn in excess of £1 million per week if he moves to the Chinese Super League, a substantial boost on his current earnings of around £600,000 per week.

Real manager Zinedine Zidane was recently open regarding Bale being free to leave the club and that a departure was in the works, via Omnisport:

The Frenchman has since defended himself from accusations that those comments were disrespectful to his player.

Liverpool already have two star wingers in Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, though the former could be moved more centrally to free up space for another contender on the right flank should Klopp wish.

While Ince campaigned for Bale's transfer to Merseyside, journalist Miguel Delaney predicted he'd end up remaining at the Bernabeu despite his spat with the manager:

Real paid Tottenham £89 million to sign Bale in 2013 and will want to make back as much of that fee as possible, especially considering he has three years left on his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Bale was omitted from Real's squad for the recent 3-1 pre-season friendly defeat to Bayern Munich, but he came back to score as a substitute in their 2-2 draw against Arsenal, via Premier Sports (UK only):

The speedster has lost none of his efficacy in front of goal despite his time out of the team, via ESPN (U.S. only):

Los Blancos came back from 2-0 down to draw before winning 3-2 on penalties. Marco Asensio also ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, but despite that news and Bale's goal, Zidane told reporters after the match that "nothing has changed."

That should sound like music to the ears of any suitor who thinks they have a shot at the player, but Klopp doesn't appear to believe such a big single expenditure would be in Liverpool's best interests.