Joe Hart “Is Not for Us” Says Liverpool Manager Jürgen Klopp

Anyone holding out hope that, despite the constant denials from journalists with ties to the club, Joe Hart could end up at Liverpool when his Torino loan ends should look away now, because manager Jürgen Klopp has tired of quietly saying the club aren't interested through friendly journalists.

At his press conference today ahead of their game on the weekend against Crystal Palace, Klopp was firm and quick to shut down a line of questioning about the club's plans at the goalkeeper position, and he even took the unusual step of addressing the ongoing Hart transfer rumours specifically.

"You ask about goalkeepers but don't say the name," he said when pressed on the subject. "It it about Joe Hart? We don't normally talk about these sorts of things, but in this particular case I think we can. He is a fantastic goalkeeper, highest quality, but we already have highest-quality goalkeepers.

"He is not for us in this moment and hopefully not for us in the future. Not because of Joe but because we already have two strong goalkeepers and also we have Danny Ward at Huddersfield. He is playing a brilliant season and he is our player so we will bring him back so there is more competition."

It's the first time Klopp has addressed the Hart rumours directly after months of rumbling rumours that simply refused to go away. It's also the clearest signal the manager has yet sent that the club are likely to head into next season with Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius as their two main goalkeepers.

Karius was signed last summer to replace Mignolet, but the young German's struggles to adjust to the physicality of English football created an opening for Mignolet, who has impressed since he reclaimed the starting job from Karius. Their competition for the starting role, then, is set to continue.

As to the result of that competition for the starting goalkeeper job, it would seem likeliest at this stage that Mignolet would retain league starting duties next season while Karius could be given the chance to play in Europe and at least one of the domestic cup competitions.