Jurgen Klopp has confessed that his Liverpool squad requires more depth if a title challenge is to be sustained, and expects to see as many as six new players arrive in the summer.

The Reds have dropped off the pace since the turn of the year, winning just two of their 12 games in all competitions to see a campaign full of promise fade into relative obscurity.

Liverpool crashed out of both domestic cup competitions in the space of a few days in January, while also falling from second place in the table at the turn of the year to their current standing of fifth.

Klopp spent £60m on six new players last year and, after failing to bring in any new arrivals in the mid-season transfer window, he is planning a similar spending spree prior to 2017-18.

"The club have never said to me that a certain figure is too expensive; that has not happened yet and I don't expect it to happen," he told reporters. "We all have the same plan, the sporting director, scouting department, owners, myself - we all want to make this club as successful as possible so we will spend money in the summer.

"Of course we have to improve the squad, that is clear. We could have done with one or two players in January, when we had injury problems and the Africa Cup, but the transfer window didn't give us any opportunity. We will be prepared for the summer window, for sure. We are working on it already - we might need between two and six players."

Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez and Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette are among those to have been linked with a summer switch to Liverpool.