Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he was surprised by the cost of Roberto Firmino, claiming that he expected Liverpool to pay more for the attacker.

Klopp was already a fan of Firmino when the Brazilian was playing for Hoffenheim and the German coach was in charge of Borussia Dortmund.

Firmino signed for the Reds in the summer of 2015 for a reported £29m figure while Brendan Rodgers was manager, but the player has thrived under Klopp, scoring 17 goals since the 49-year-old took over last October.

"I thought, immediately, 'What a good transfer for them'," Sky Sports News quotes Klopp as saying. "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.

"In Germany, some people don't know where Hoffenheim is, but if you play your football there then you feel it is a tough place. So, you know what a decent job the scout did, whoever brought him in for that price."

Recently, reports emerged claiming that Firmino has an £82m buyout clause in his contract, and Arsenal are banned from activating it.