Jurgen Klopp has suggested Liverpool have plans beyond Cody Gakpo's signing for the January transfer window, but acknowledged they remain unsure if they will add to their ranks.

The arrival of Gakpo from PSV, fresh from a strong World Cup with the Netherlands in which he scored three goals, was confirmed on Wednesday as the Reds' first bit of business ahead of the New Year.

The Dutchman's acquisition is a key one for Klopp, but the German remained tight-lipped over what impact it will have on any further transfer targets.

"In principle it's like this for all people in the world," he said at a press conference on Thursday. "The money you spend has an impact on the money you can spend [in the future].

"It's not that it increases it. It has nothing to do with each other.

"We know what we want to do, and we will see if we can do it."

In adding Gakpo to his ranks, Klopp is able to plug a gap left by injuries to Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, both of whom are expected to be out for another two to three months.

The Reds manager said Gakpo's arrival was not a plan informed by that situation though, adding the transfer had been in the works prior to Diaz suffering a recent recurrence of his knee problem.

"The injuries were not at all an impact [on the signing]," he said. "We decided to do something from a sports point of view without having the financial green light already, two or three months ago."

Philippe Coutinho has shut down speculation he is looking to leave Aston Villa, with the Brazil international blasting reports he wants an exit as "lies".

The former Liverpool and Barcelona playmaker initially arrived at Villa Park in January on a short-term loan deal under Steven Gerrard, whom he played alongside at Liverpool.

A successful spell earned a permanent move from Barca during the off-season, but following Gerrard's sacking in October, Unai Emery took charge at the Midlands club.

Reports emerged earlier this month the 30-year-old was seeking a departure in the January transfer window, but Coutinho has taken to social media to rubbish those claims.

"In the last few days I've seen a lot of news with my name," he said in an Instagram post. "The problem is now that some lies have started, and I'm here to clarify.

"Never, and at any moment, [have I] had any kind of conversation asking to leave the club, because I'm happy here and my family [are] too.

"My only focus now that I've recovered from injury is to work at the maximum every day, to play [at] a high level, and help the club and my team-mates to achieve our goals."

It has been a tough campaign for Coutinho so far, with form and injury struggles contributing to him losing his position in the Brazil squad ahead of the World Cup.

After recording eight goal involvements (five goals, three assists) in 19 Premier League games during his initial loan spell, he has failed to contribute any in 13 league games since the move was made permanent.

Carlo Ancelotti has made it abundantly clear that he will never declare Lionel Messi as the greatest football of all time.

Victory at the World Cup with Argentina handed Messi the one prize that had previously escaped his clutches, adding to a trophy cabinet that boasts four Champions League medals, 10 LaLiga titles and seven Ballon d'Or wins.

That has reignited the debate surrounding who the greatest player in history is, with Messi's standing receiving a boost against the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona.

While some are now happy to declare Messi as the greatest of all time, those are words that Real Madrid boss Ancelotti, who has coached the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Karim Benzema, will never utter.

"It's a hard thing to say. His career continues, whether he has a World Cup or not," he said in a press conference.

"In every era there have been very strong players, a lot. 'Messi is the best in history' will not come out of my mouth.

"I enjoy the best, I have seen Maradona, [Johan] Cruyff, I coach the current Ballon d'Or winner [Benzema]. I don't know who is 'the best ever'."

Ancelotti has been linked with taking over as coach of Argentina's great rivals Brazil, but the Italian reiterated his commitment to Madrid.

"I don't know if they are interested, because they haven't contacted me," he said.

"I appreciate it, in any case, but my situation is very clear: I am happy in this adventure and I will continue until Madrid tell me 'it's over'."

Jurgen Klopp is delighted by Liverpool's swift signing of Cody Gakpo but knows the forward will likely be made to wait for his debut.

The Reds concluded a transfer reportedly worth around £37million (€42m) for the Netherlands international as their first piece of business for the mid-season window, which opens officially on January 1.

With New Year's Day falling on Sunday, it means there will be a national holiday on Monday, and based on other dealings in the past, it is unlikely the move would be ratified in time for Gakpo to make his debut that day against Brentford.

Though he was delighted to get a deal over the line, Klopp knows it might not be until January 7, against Wolves in the FA Cup, that he can call on the 23-year-old.

"There might be a chance for him against Brentford but not really, I think," Klopp said in a press conference on Thursday ahead of Liverpool's Premier League meeting with Leicester City.

"January 1 is a bank holiday, all the papers that need to be signed will have to be signed on the second by lunchtime, so I'm not too positive on that.

"We will not rush it, so he will probably be ready for Wolves."

Gakpo had a fine World Cup, scoring three times for the Netherlands, as he took his club form onto the international stage.

Since the start of the 2021-22 season, no player registered more goal involvements in the Eredivisie than Gakpo's 46 (21 goals, 25 assists). In fact, no other player in Europe's top 10 leagues has tallied both 20+ goals and 20+ assists over the same period.

"He's a really, really good player, so the package was very interesting," said Klopp.

"The potential he has and the quality he has shown already, in Holland and with the national team as well, makes him a really interesting player and that's why we were very interested to get him in.

"I'm really happy that we could do it, it's big for us and it's big for him as well. He's delighted about joining us, it's a great day."

Gakpo's arrival at Anfield comes amid speculation over Roberto Firmino's future at the club, as he edges towards the end of his deal, but Klopp's desire to keep the Brazil international has not waned.

"Not for me. We have talked with Bobby, from my point of view I definitely want him to stay. It has no impact [for me]," he said.

"You'd have to ask him but from my point of view, no."

Stefanos Tsitsipas opened his United Cup campaign with a comeback victory over Grigor Dimitrov in Perth.

ATP world number four Tsitsipas is one of the headline names in action at the event, which is acting as a warm-up tournament for the Australian Open.

After going a set down to his Bulgarian opponent in his first game of the inaugural tournament, Tsitsipas hit back with a strong second set before holding his nerve in a tense tie-break in the decider, securing a 4-6 6-2 7-6 (7-4) win.

Tsitsipas's team-mate Despina Papamichail continued Greece's strong start, also coming from a set down to beat Isabella Shinikova 3-6 6-4 6-1.

Great Britain opened with a pair of victories, Cameron Norrie and Katie Swan earning straight sets triumphs over their Australian counterparts in Sydney.

Norrie, who was initially set to play Nick Kyrgios prior to the Wimbledon finalist's withdrawal due to an ankle injury, eased to a 6-3 6-3 victory over Alex De Minaur, while Swan defeated Zoe Hives. 

The United States are also taking a 100 per cent record into day two of the tournament, after Taylor Fritz and Madison Keys overcame Jiri Lehecka and Marie Bouzkova respectively, while France pair Arthur Rinderknech and Alize Cornet got off to winning starts against Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo and Maria Lourdes Carle.

In Brisbane, Swiss hope Belinda Bencic secured a 7-6 (7-0) triumph over Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan and Beatriz Haddad Maia, the Brazilian world number 15, dispatched Italy's Martina Trevisan 6-2 6-0.

Alexis Mac Allister's father and representative Carlos has labelled Juventus "one of the most prestigious clubs in the world" amid growing speculation over the midfielder's future.

Brighton and Hove Albion star Mac Allister is a player in demand after starting six of Argentina's seven games in their triumphant World Cup 2022 campaign.

The 24-year-old signed a new three-year deal in October, with the option for Brighton to extend it by a further year, yet that has done little to quell interest from elsewhere.

Premier League trio Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have been linked, but Juventus are reportedly the frontrunners to sign Mac Allister next year.

And Mac Alister's agent spoke highly of the Serie A giants when providing an update on the former Boca Juniors loanee's future on Thursday. 

"Juventus is a huge club, one of the most prestigious in the world," Carlos Mac Allister told Tuttomercato. 

"I can only say that together with [Brighton] we will analyse the offers we receive, then we will decide what will happen to Alexis' future. 

"He is doing very well in England and he is grateful to Brighton because they gave him the possibility to play in Europe. 

"However, we cannot provide a price, nor do we say who has called us. We don't want to give information that could prejudice imminent negotiations, if any."

Mac Allister scored a crucial goal for Argentina in their group-stage win against Poland and assisted Angel Di Maria's goal in a thrilling final with France.

The 14-cap midfielder has started 14 of Brighton's 15 matches this season, missing only Monday's 3-1 win at Southampton as he enjoys a post-World Cup break.

Discussing the speculation surrounding Mac Allister earlier this month, Brighton chief executive Paul Barber said he is confident the club can keep hold of their prized asset.

"As we've always said, when players do well, when their profile increases, there's always going to be interest in them," Barber said. 

"This will be no different; Alexis is no different. There was interest in him before the World Cup and I'm sure there will be more interest in him afterwards.

"All we can do in situations where you've got a great asset is to try and protect yourself as best as possible. We've done that with several of our players and staff.

"That's all you can do in these situations. We hope Alexis will continue to be playing for us for some time to come."

Karim Benzema will "show all his quality" in the remainder of Real Madrid's season following his World Cup snub with France, according to head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Benzema won the Ballon d'Or in October after his 44 goals in 46 games during the 2021-22 campaign helped Madrid to win both LaLiga and the Champions League.

However, he has been plagued by injury problems this season and missed the World Cup with France after being ruled out with a thigh issue on the eve of the tournament.

The 35-year-old has since retired from international duty, after France head coach Didier Deschamps decided not to bring him back to Qatar as Les Bleus went deep into the tournament, ultimately losing the final to Argentina on penalties.

With Madrid's competitive season getting back under way at Real Valladolid in LaLiga on Friday, Ancelotti believes Benzema will kick on from this season's setbacks to help Madrid compete for silverware yet again.

"We've got Benzema back and that's good," Ancelotti told reporters at his pre-match press conference on Thursday. "He came back on December 10.

"He started working with the team, played 30 minutes and 45 minutes in friendlies and he's doing well, with enormous enthusiasm.

"He knows that his first leg of the season has not been good and he wants to show things in the second. He's going to show all his quality in this stretch of the season."

Madrid's hunt for trophies sees them facing a busy schedule over the remainder of the season, still competing in the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana and the Champions League.

As well as those cup competitions, Madrid currently face a two-point deficit to leaders and bitter rivals Barcelona at the summit of LaLiga.

Ancelotti acknowledged the difficulties Madrid's packed fixture list will pose, saying: "The calendar is going to demand a lot from us. Until March there will be a lot of matches.

"We will do individual evaluations of the players, that is the key. Three have returned today and can play tomorrow, but we will have to examine them in detail. We will ration who needs rest and who needs work.

"The only clear thing is that there will be no days off until March."

Despite the hectic remainder of the season, Ancelotti does not feel the squad needs any additions in the January transfer window.

"We're doing very well," Ancelotti added. "We don't need players. I think we're better than last year, take a look."

With a number of key players set to run out of contract at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, Ancelotti is remaining calm over their futures.

"It is an issue that does not worry me," Ancelotti said. "[Dani] Ceballos, [Marco] Asensio, [Luka] Modric, [Toni] Kroos... we are going to be able to evaluate all the cases.

"I want to make one thing very clear: I fully trust these players between now and June. If they consider that the best thing is to go, I will be happy for them."

Shakhtar Donetsk will continue to negotiate with Arsenal over a deal for Mykhaylo Mudryk but warned they will only sell at the right price.

Arsenal are reported to have had a bid of £57million (€64.4m) for winger Mudryk rejected by the Ukrainian champions.

Shakhtar director Carlo Nicolini on Wednesday stated that the club will expect a fee closer to the £100m (€113.2m) Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish than the £82m (€92.7m) Manchester United stumped up for Antony.

Sergei Palkin was due to hold further talks with the Premier League leaders on Thursday, yet the Shakhtar CEO stressed the club's prized asset will be going nowhere if the Gunners do not offer what they are looking for.

He told the club's official website: "Negotiations are continuing. We receive offers, but they are not the ones we would like to see on our table.

"Now, literally in five minutes, I will have a phone conversation with Arsenal. We are open to negotiations, ready to exchange ideas and figures. If we will agree, then let it be so. If we will not, then let it be another time."

Palkin's comments come after Nicolini told Calcio Mercato: "I confirm that Arsenal is one of the most active teams.

"When there is an interested company, we ask: 'Make a proposal and when we have it in hand we start to negotiate.'

"As we have always said, to deal with Mudryk, you need an important offer. Arsenal may have made such an offer, but there is negotiation.

"Players were sold that the clubs wanted to sell and that we consider no stronger than Mudryk with a valuation of around £100m, so we consider no less than £60m.

"I am not the one to make the figure, I have no particular indications from the company, but the director has said that we need an important offer closer to Grealish than for Antony. If the cash figure is £40m, it is not even taken into account.

Jorginho has been offered a new contract by Chelsea amid speculation he is wanted by a number of clubs, according to the midfielder's agent.

The Italy international, who has been a regular for Chelsea for the past five seasons, is due to become a free agent at the end of the current campaign.

Barcelona and Juventus are reportedly eager to open talks with Jorginho in January, while Chelsea's Premier League rivals Newcastle United have also been linked with the former Napoli man.

However, Jorginho's agent Joao Santos has revealed the 31-year-old will first discuss fresh terms with Chelsea over prolonging his stay at Stamford Bridge.

"His contract expires on June 30," Santos told Tuttomercato. "We have a renewal proposal from Chelsea and we will give them priority."

Napoli have also been credited with an interest in taking Jorginho back to the Serie A leaders, and Santos suggested a return is a possibility should an approach be made.

"Naples was Jorginho's home and he's greatly appreciated there. For us it's a special club, so we'd be happy with any interest. But at the moment, Napoli have not contacted us." he said.

Jorginho has played 20 times for Chelsea this season – only Kai Havertz (21) and Mason Mount (22) have featured more – with 16 of those appearances being starts.

He is level with Thiago Silva for the most interceptions (25) among Chelsea players this campaign, while only Marc Cucurella has won as many tackles (22).

Kylian Mbappe has shrugged off the taunts from Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez following France's defeat in the World Cup final.

Martinez has come in for significant criticism for his actions following Argentina's shoot-out win over Les Bleus in Qatar, where he called for a minute's silence for Mbappe in dressing room celebrations.

The Aston Villa keeper was then was pictured with a doll with the Paris Saint-Germain star's face stuck on it during an open-top bus parade in Buenos Aires.

Mbappe was not fazed by Martinez's behaviour and offered a blunt verdict when a question was posed to him about the antics.

"Celebrations are not my problem. I don't waste energy in such trivial things," he told RMC Sport after PSG's Ligue 1 win against Strasbourg on Wednesday.

"The important thing for me is to give the best of myself for my club, and we will wait for Leo (Messi) to come back to continue scoring and winning games."

Mbappe also revealed he spoke to Messi following the end of the World Cup final and offered congratulations to his club team-mate.

"I spoke with him after the game, I congratulated him. It was the quest of a lifetime for him, for me too, but I failed, so you always have to remain a good player." he said.

Messi is set to return to club duty next week.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola joked Kalvin Phillips has "the perfect body" after overlooking the midfielder for selection last week for being "overweight".

Phillips was back among the substitutes for Wednesday's 3-1 win at former club Leeds United, six days after being left out of the squad for the EFL Cup last-16 tie with Liverpool.

Guardiola said after the Liverpool match that Phillips, who recovered from injury to play twice for England at the World Cup, was not in the right physical condition to feature.

However, Guardiola has now made a U-turn on those comments and confirmed Phillips could be involved against struggling Everton on Saturday.

"He has the perfect body now – so sexy," Guardiola said following the win at Leeds, which moved City back within five points of leaders Arsenal. "We will see for the weekend."

Phillips has made just four substitute appearances for City, playing only 54 minutes, since joining from boyhood club Leeds in a reported £42million deal.

"He has spent the first part of the season out [after] surgery to arrive for the World Cup – and did everything to get to the World Cup," Guardiola added.

"It's not just about just being fit; you also have to understand what we want to do, the movements.

"So that means, as quick as possible, because Rodri cannot play all the games, as quick as possible he will play.

"But I'm happy that Kalvin trained really well [on Tuesday] and sooner or later he will play."

Erling Haaland scored two second-half goals for City at Elland Road after Rodri had made the breakthrough shortly before half-time for the reigning champions.

Haaland has 20 Premier League goals in 14 appearances, reaching that mark in seven games fewer than any other player in the competition's history.

In a warning to Premier League defenders, however, Guardiola believes there is still more to come.

"He's an incredible threat for us and always in the right position at the right time, really good," Guardiola said.

"I think he is still not at his best because of the injury. To move his huge body is not easy for him, but as much as he can play minutes, he will be better."

Dean Elgar says South Africa are learning in the "most ruthless and brutal way" after Australia consigned them to a crushing Test series defeat.

The Proteas were hammered by an innings and 182 runs on day four of the second Test at the MCG after being bowled out for only 204.

Victory for Australia sealed their first Test series triumph over South Africa on home soil for 17 years, with one match left to play.

Elgar criticised the lack of first-class and Test cricket the Proteas are exposed to and called for that to be changed.

The South Africa captain said: "Hopefully that spiral can come to an end come next season where first-class cricket will be looked after a bit better.

"I know that is in the plans that we do potentially have more first-class cricket back home. But yes, it's a tough one. I've got to bite my tongue."

He added: "We need to be playing more Test cricket and our players need to be exposed to this level. Even though we're taking a hiding like we've had in the first two Tests here and the England series that we had, our players need to be exposed to that.

"Unfortunately we are all learning in the most ruthless and brutal way but I think there are more learnings out of this than going out and playing against a team that's of similar strength and we beat them."

Elgar stressed that it is not all doom and gloom.

"For me, it's about that positive affirmation that you have to give to the greater group," he said.

"I'm not going to go away from that because I still feel the guys that we have here are talented cricketers and hardened first-class cricketers, but they obviously just lack experience at the Test level.

"We've still going to show faith in them. And hopefully that turns things around. There's a saying in cricket – you're only one knock away from being back in form and got to believe that.

"For me, it's not just a cliche. I think there's a lot of merit in it. We have to still keep the encouragement and keep reminding the guys that they're not crap cricketers – let's put it that way and to be blunt."