Ian Ayre: Liverpool will continue to invest in the transfer market

Liverpool's chief executive Ian Ayre says the club will have the resources to continue to spend in the transfer window in the future, but has hinted further resources this summer could be restricted.

The Reds have already signed six players in the form of Danny Ings, James Milner, Adam Bogdan, Joe Gomez, Roberto Firmino and Nathaniel Clyne, but continue to be linked with making additional signings.

Aston Villa forward Christian Benteke is linked with a move to Liverpool, with Talksport reporting that the two clubs are close to an agreement over the departure of the Belgium international who has a £32.5m release clause according to The Daily Telegraph.

Daniel Sturridge, Fabio Borini, Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli all failed to reach double figures in terms of goals last season and despite the return from a season-long loan spell of Divock Origi the club are badly in need of additional attacking resources.

And Liverpool CEO Ayre says that while there is some scope for significant spending in the future, the club may have to scale back having not qualified for the Champions League for a second time running.

"I stood on the Kop for many years as a fan, and like everyone else I'd love to buy all the greatest players, regardless of price," he told the League Managers' Association magazine.

"But, as we saw under the club's previous ownership [George Gillett and Tom Hicks], things can all go very wrong financially; then people will hold you accountable for not running the club in the right way.

"You can't work that way. You have to have a very detailed, thought out plan and ensure everyone buys into it and adheres to it. That is what we have been doing and will continue to do.

"It doesn't mean we are not investing in or buying good players; we are just doing it in a smart and sustainable way.

"We may not be competing in the Champions League this year, but we are still making progress as a club and continuing to add quality to our squad," the Liverpool chief added.

"We are also improving financially, which means that as we go forward with the plan we will have more resources and will be able to invest more than we have in the past."