Liverpool has seemingly bought well so far this summer, and soon it will be required to sell well too. In addition to the likes of Florian Wirtz coming in, the Reds will have to trim down their roster and allow some stars to move on.
Players including Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott are drawing interest from elsewhere. Napoli is thought to hold an interest in the former, while the latter's stance on an exit softened as the campaign unfolded. In the winter, he was adamant that he would be staying; nearer the final game, Elliott openly admitted that he might have to leave in search of more regular minutes.
But no one will be heading out on the cheap. Liverpool has a reputation for getting good money for its players — around $46 million (£34 million) for Jarell Quansah, for instance — and that is set to continue.
In the cases of both Nunez and Elliott, Liverpool should be able to get even more than it will earn from Quansah's move. And the latest development at Newcastle United should further underline that.
According to The Athletic, Nottingham Forest has flatly rejected a $61 million (£45 million) bid from Newcastle for its winger, Anthony Elanga. Evangelos Marinakis has no intention of losing the former Manchester United ace.
Newcastle, for its part, might now switch its focus to West Ham's Mohammed Kudus or Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo. But having shown itself to be willing to put down such a huge fee for Elanga, it has somewhat shown its hand.
Anthony Elanga, Ola Aina and Callum Hudson-Odoi of Nottingham Forest celebrate after beating Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup.
Anthony Elanga, Ola Aina and Callum Hudson-Odoi of Nottingham Forest celebrate after beating Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup.
Elanga, at 23, should have his best years ahead of him. But he scored just six goals for Nottingham Forest last season, and while he had a generally good campaign, his season was not so good that a $60M-plus valuation won't raise eyebrows.
In two years at the City Ground, Elanga has scored 11 goals in 83 appearances. He is a good player, but not one who should be commanding such a huge price tag.
And amid Liverpool's upcoming sales, that should set the marker. Nunez has struggled in the last few months at Anfield, but he remains a talent that someone will be able to get more from.
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It would be no surprise if he were to move to another league and perform well. And though it is a crude comparison to make between two very different players who play in different positions, Nunez is surely at least as good as Elanga.
Elliott, as a homegrown player who is aged just 22, and with 147 appearances for Liverpool to date, is even more valuable.
Earlier, Football Insider claimed that the Reds would demand around $54 million (£40 million) for Elliott, but even that — in the Elanga context — seems modest.
Liverpool has plenty of sellable assets that could be moved on this summer. They won't be allowed to depart on the cheap, though, and Elanga is another justification as to why.