Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre says they now tackle the transfer market by committee.

Ayre explained how the Premier League club's transfer policy now operates since they were bought out by their American owners, with manager Brendan Rodgers working as part of an extensive team to identify and acquire the right players.

He said: "We were very pleased with the most recent window in January with Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge. It's a combination of skills and people and processes that bring us to what we're trying to achieve.

"I think the fundamental shift particularly around player acquisitions and disposals was that we took the view that it needs to be more of a science. Your biggest expenditure line can't be the whim of any individual.

"What we believe, and we continue to follow, is you need many people involved in the process. That doesn't mean somebody else is picking the team for Brendan. But Brendan needs to set out with his team of people which positions we want to fill and what the key targets would be for that."