Liverpool's Summer Transfer Window: Key Departures and New Arrivals
The clock is ticking on the summer transfer window and Liverpool are still not finished.
The Premier League kicks off in less than a week. For some, that means excitement. For the transfer-obsessed, it means the familiar dread that the window slams shut — by law it must always slam — at 11pm on Tuesday, September 1.
Liverpool, who burned through almost £450m on signings and recouped around £225m in sales last summer, have moved with more restraint this time. But Andoni Iraola has been blunt: if the club want to trouble the elite again, there is still work to do.
Big names gone, questions everywhere
The first jolt came at the end of last season. Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate all walked away on free transfers, joined by Academy products Rhys Williams and James Balagizi. No fees, no wriggle room. Just a hole in the dressing room and on the balance sheet.
Only one senior player has actually brought in money so far. Luca Stephenson left for Championship newcomers Bolton Wanderers in a £700,000 deal. Midfielder Tommy Pilling has also gone, heading to Slovakian side MFK Zemplin Michalovce.
Behind those modest numbers sits a growing tension. With barely a fortnight left in the window, several senior players are under the microscope.
Curtis Jones remains firmly on Inter Milan’s radar, with Galatasaray having previously shown interest. Liverpool want more than £30m for a midfielder who is out of contract next summer. Harvey Elliott is in a similar contractual position, with Sunderland and Leeds United both linked.
Then comes the core of Iraola’s squad. Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo, Kostas Tsimikas, Stefan Bajcetic, Virgil van Dijk, Calvin Ramsay and Alisson Becker are all into the final 12 months of their current deals. Ramsay and Bajcetic could be allowed to leave on loan. The rest are expected to be key figures for the new head coach this season, contract uncertainty or not.
Speculation around Alexis Mac Allister, who has two years left on his deal, has cooled. He is back at the AXA Training Centre after the World Cup and, for now, the noise has died down. Cody Gakpo, long admired by Tottenham Hotspur, is another name that refuses to disappear from the rumour mill, even if Spurs have yet to turn interest into a formal move.
Academy traffic: one out, one loan, one waiting
While the senior picture remains cloudy, the Academy door has barely stopped swinging.
Midfielder James McConnell is close to joining Preston North End on loan in the Championship. Ifeanyi Ndukwe, the 18-year-old centre-back who impressed in pre-season after his £2.6m arrival from Austria Vienna, cannot play competitively for Liverpool this year and has become a sought-after loan target. Clubs in Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Belgium and France all want him.
Lewis Koumas is another who could move, either temporarily or permanently. He was on the brink of joining Craig Bellamy at Burnley before the collapse of Bellamy’s move to Turf Moor changed everything.
Keyrol Figueroa is being tracked by several clubs, including Barnsley in League One and Salford City and Shrewsbury Town in League Two. Liverpool also expect strong interest in Jayden Danns once he returns to fitness later this month.
Even the goalkeepers are drawing attention. Kornel Misciur, 18, has attracted enquiries from a number of non-league sides.
Some deals are already done. Armin Pecsi and midfielder Kyle Kelly will spend the season at TSV Hartberg in Austria and Forest Green Rovers in the National League respectively. Defender Amara Nallo is with Finnish club HJK Helsinki for the rest of the year.
The production line is moving. The question is how many of these young names will ever make it back to Anfield as first-team regulars.
Iraola’s rebuild: Araujo in, winger hunt drags on
If departures have created anxiety, the arrivals have at least shown intent.
Victor Munoz came through the door in June after Liverpool triggered his £34.5m release clause at Osasuna. Earlier in the year, the club struck a £60m agreement with Rennes for 21-year-old centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, who has now officially joined.
Once Iraola flagged how thin his defensive options were, Liverpool acted. Last week they secured Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan, with an option to buy set at £47m. It is the kind of move that can reshape a back line overnight.
The next piece of the puzzle is out wide. Liverpool want a winger. They were willing to go as high as £86m for 19-year-old Yan Diomande, only to find RB Leipzig holding out for more than £100m and the player leaning towards Paris Saint-Germain with a long-term eye on Real Madrid.
That setback followed a familiar pattern. An enquiry for Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche ended with the player joining PSG. Interest in Anthony Gordon never materialised into a bid before he chose Barcelona.
Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, Koln’s Said El Mala and Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo have all been assessed. None has yet become the chosen one.
Instead, PSG winger Bradley Barcola has emerged as the clear priority. Talks have taken place. The player is understood to be keen on the move. The problem is the price. PSG want at least £130m. Liverpool will need the French champions to soften their stance, or walk away.
The club remain open to adding another forward and a new midfield option. But the dominoes are obvious. Any late push will likely depend on whether one of those senior names at the heart of Iraola’s squad is sacrificed.
The window is narrowing. Liverpool have shored up the defence, trimmed the fringes and reshaped the Academy pathway. The next two weeks will decide whether that is enough to launch a serious challenge, or whether this rebuild still feels one marquee signing short.
