The transfer window is supposedly in hiatus during the proceedings of the Fifa Club World Cup going on in the United States, but it seems nobody told Liverpool, who while unable to seal any deals during this period are nonetheless not letting the opportunity to go by to put out their feelers for fresh talent to add to their championship winning side.
Indeed, one wonders whether the distraction of the Club World Cup may be negatively impacting the Liverpool’s opponents involved in the competition. One would imagine it is hard to be scanning for talent when your team is still in action on the other side of the world. Observing the markets and other leagues for fresh blood for the next season has to be difficult when you are still effectively playing the end of last season and have no idea how your current squad will come through this late tournament.
So, while many of their competitors in the market are looking at what’s playing out in the US, Liverpool are mostly free to take their pick of what’s available on the European and English markets.
Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong during the UEFA Champions League, league stage match at Anfield, Liverpool last year.
Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong during the UEFA Champions League, league stage match at Anfield, Liverpool last year.
Straight out the gates
Liverpool were off to the races right from the start. The early window in the transfer market, to cater for the Club World Cup, saw most other clubs only put a tentative toe into water. Not so Liverpool, who made a big early splash with the immediate signing of Dutch international full back Jeremie Frimpong for £30m from Bayer Leverkusen immediately filling the gap left by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure to Real Madrid.
Days later, Liverpool returned to the Leverkusen well and rocked the market with an English Premier League record transfer fee of £116m for Florian Wirtz, the German international midfielder seen as a generational talent, and a crucial addition to an already impressive Liverpool midfield. This week the news was that Liverpool had sealed the deal on a Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth for about £40m.
Liverpool are set to take their summer spending to £185million after agreeing a £40m fee for Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire.
Liverpool are set to take their summer spending to £185million after agreeing a £40m fee for Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire.
For most clubs that would be a busy transfer window for an entire two months. Liverpool have this done in two weeks effectively and don’t look like slowing up anytime soon for their hunt for another striker and maybe another winger and centre-back.
Targets
The big target, which if the Reds can get over the line would rock the league even more, is Liverpool's push to take Alexander Isak away from Newcastle. This may be the hardest of tasks for Liverpool’s transfer team. The very least Newcastle will need to let Isak go would be around £200m, quickly breaking the transfer record set for Wirtz. However, it’s hard to see, even at that price, how they’d complete the transfer. Newcastle are in a mid-rebuild of their own and not eager to lose their biggest star just as they are returning to Champions League football. And there is no strong belief that Isak wants to go either. Had Newcastle not made it to the Champions League then there may have been a reason to leave. At the moment, the Swedish striker is playing his best football at St James’ Park, why risk it? Against that, £200m is still a lot of money even to Saudi rich Newcastle, and could buy a lot of promising replacements should Isak leave.
Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring in the FA Cup fifth round match at St James' Park earlier this year.
Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring in the FA Cup fifth round match at St James' Park earlier this year.
Maybe a more realistic target for the Merseyside outfit’s search for a striker is to return to the Bundesliga and Hugo Ekitike at Eintracht Frankfurt, a young and very promising French striker, who has been flatteringly compared to Thierry Henry. Contact has supposedly been made with Frankfurt with Ekitike apparently favourable to a move to the Premier League. A £70m transfer would be significantly cheaper than Isak’s price tag, however, Isak does have the benefit of been a proven talent in the Premier League.
Hugo Ekitike celebrates after scoring for Reims against Bordeaux in 2023. Picture: Getty Images
Hugo Ekitike celebrates after scoring for Reims against Bordeaux in 2023. Picture: Getty Images
Other bids on the Liverpool radar are Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi. The English international just seemed like a rumoured move for the £45m defender. But this looks a stronger prospect in the light of Jarrell Quansah move away from Anfield in the other direction to Leverkusen on a £30m move, plus £5m in extras and a possible buyback clause from Liverpool.
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi celebrates scoring the side's second goal of the game in the Premier League match against Wolves at Molineux, Wolverhampton.
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi celebrates scoring the side's second goal of the game in the Premier League match against Wolves at Molineux, Wolverhampton.
Another defensive option Liverpool may commit to is the young 19-year-old defender in the shape of £42m Jorrel Hato from Ajax. Maybe a long-term prospect for the future and an obvious connection with the Dutch profile of the team and management.
Balancing the books
So how did Liverpool and their notoriously frugal owners FSG come to find this cash for new talent?
Well, it must be remembered they barely spent any money last summer, which certainly helped when the budget was rolled into this season, but in the era of Profit Sustainability Rules and amortisation, there is always the fear of slipping over to the wrong side of the spending laws. FSG have negated such worries in their typical Moneyball style, effectively covering much of the immediate Frimpong costs and much of the Wirtz costs by selling Caoimhin Kelleher, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah for a combined £61.5m.
The £100m initial fee for Wirtz, not including performance related add-ons, will also be spread across the five years of his contract. Similar structures will apply to Hungarian full back Kerkez.
Should Napoli take on the £70m price tag for Darwin Nunez, it would go a long way to paying back any outlay on Isak or Ekitike. Balancing the books on what then would be a very good transfer window.