Former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann says Cody Gakpo should be a priority for Arne Slot to keep this summer, with speculation about interest from Bayern Munich continuing.
Liverpool is in the middle of a big summer, having already confirmed the signings of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Armin Pecsi. Milos Kerkez, and potentially a number nine and a center-back, could be next.
But there will be plenty of sales too, with the likes of Harvey Elliott and Darwin Nunez among those who could move on. Talks are ongoing for Jarell Quansah to join Bayer Leverkusen, while Tyler Morton is sending a timely reminder to potential suitors while impressing for England at the U21 European Championship.
Hamann, though, believes that while there is going to be plenty of churn across the Reds' roster, Gakpo should not be sold. There has also been interest in the likes of Luis Diaz and Federico Chiesa.
"Liverpool has still relied a lot on Mohamed Salah," Hamann told InstantWithdrawalBettingSites. "It always seemed to be Salah stepping up, but there were times when Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo scored important goals.
"Bayern Munich are linked to Gakpo, and Barcelona to Diaz. I think they both play a part, but consistency has been an issue.
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"I think Gakpo is the one to keep out of himself, Diaz and Diogo Jota. But Diaz is a hard-working team player that would be hard to replace."
If Liverpool was to lose either Gakpo, Jota or Diaz, a replacement would need to be found. Should Chiesa move on, with several Serie A clubs considering an approach, then the Reds could do without signing someone else in his position given how little the Italian played in his debut campaign at Anfield.
Elsewhere, a defender and a striker could be on the agenda. In midfield, though it depends largely on where Wirtz will be deployed and how he is viewed, Liverpool might be sorted.
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"Do Liverpool have the best midfield in the Premier League? Yeah, absolutely," Hamann continued.
"I think it has been Liverpool's Achilles heel since Fabinho left, in the middle of the park, but last season the midfield was a huge reason why they won the league.
"Out of the three, I think Ryan Gravenberch was the standout player. Why change it? Maybe to freshen things up, Wataru Endo is still there as a backup.
"I'd say, why change it? They complement each other and work well together. That’s something that Arne Slot doesn’t need to touch."
Liverpool.com says: Keeping both Gakpo and Diaz seems like the most likely option given how much the Reds have to do this summer. Signing too many players at once would not be sensible as they all need to gel together quickly.