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Jamie Carragher believes Jurgen Klopp is “lying” about who he wants Liverpool to face in the Champions League final and extended an offer to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James to join him in Paris.
The Reds overcame a scare to defeat Villarreal 3-2 on Tuesday, securing a 5-2 aggregate triumph and punching their ticket to a 10th showpiece in Europe’s premier tournament.
Liverpool were trailing 2-0 at half-time before second-half goals from Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane ensured they will meet Manchester City or Real Madrid in this month’s final.
It means a remarkable quadruple is still on the cards, with Liverpool having already clinched the EFL Cup and still in the hunt for the Premier League title and FA Cup too.
Manager Klopp insisted he would have no preference over who he faced in the French capital, but former Reds defender Carragher reckons the German would secretly prefer to face newly crowned LaLiga champions Madrid.
“I think he’s lying,” Carragher said speaking as a pundit for CBS. “I am pretty certain he’d prefer Real Madrid.”
Regardless of how many trophies Liverpool end up with this term, Klopp has cemented his status as a legend at Anfield and recently committed his future to the club until 2026.
Carragher thinks that was the right move and is not sure his coaching style would ever suit Barcelona or Madrid, clubs he has in the past been linked with.
He added: “There’s lots of great clubs but not another one that suits Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool are not an underdog by any means, they are one of the biggest clubs out there but that thing of when he was at Dortmund and they were fighting against Bayern with no funds, and the same sort of thing against maybe Manchester United and Manchester City in the Premier League.
“I couldn’t see him managing a Real Madrid or a Barcelona, I don’t think it would suit his style of management.
“I think he needs the intensity of the crowd and that togetherness. He is already and, who knows what Liverpool will have won in four years’ time, he is going to be remembered as one of the greatest managers in Liverpool’s history and one of the greatest figures in Liverpool’s history right up there with the great managers.”
Plenty of Liverpool fans will flock to Paris for the final and one particularly famous supporter could be headed to France in the form of NBA great James, who owns a small stake in the club.
And Carragher had an invitation for the four-time NBA champion, who had Tweeted to say: “PARIS HERE WE COME!!!!!!!! @LFC!”
“LeBron, if you want to come to Paris you can join me, and the CBS team, and you can be my guest pitchside,” he added.
“I want you next to us in Paris to give us the support that we need to win that seventh European Cup. Come and join us, big man!”
