Walking Away from Teixeira Deal a “Common Decision” Says Jürgen Klopp

When Liverpool made a £24.5M bid for Shakhtar Donetsk attacker Alex Teixeira, most thought it was a more than fair opening offer for the talented 26-year-old who had scored a goal a game this season but who, despite his age, had yet to earn a single cap for Brazil.

There might be some upward movement, a few more add-ons, but it seemed a workable starting point and with a week to go in the window most thought a deal would get done. Shakhtar, though, stood firm on their £38M asking price—at least when they weren’t talking about a £52M buyout clause.

Some Liverpool fans were incensed that the club didn’t go for him anyhow, seeing the decision to walk away as a lack of support for manager Jürgen Klopp. Most, though, thought it was the right call, and Klopp insisted it was a collective decision as the window neared its close today.

"It was absolutely a common decision," said the Liverpool manager. "We made offers. I won’t say too much about that, but they were realistic, absolutely, with the pluses of it being January, the Premier League, all the pluses you have when you make negotiations with other clubs.

"But [in the end] it was a case of ‘if you don’t want it, okay, we can’t change the situation, do what you want.’ It’s important for now and for the future. It’s not that we haven’t got money or anything, but you have to work respectfully and responsibly."

Shakhtar’s high valuation was in part driven by rumoured Chelsea interest in the summer and the Ukrainian club’s hopes of sparking a bidding war. When Chelsea went for Alexandre Pato instead, that bidding war never materialized. Shakhtar, though, wouldn’t come down in their asking price.

Though the player was pushing hard for a move, Liverpool were faced with only two choices: pay Shakhtar’s full £38M (€50M) asking price or walk away. They walked away, though multiple reports say that interest remains and they could return for Teixeira in the summer.