Liverpool are set for another summer of change. Will Arne Slot fall under that umbrella?
Having failed to show any kind of improvement over the later stages of this interminable season, Liverpool are limping toward a finish line that will, at least, reward them with Champions League qualification. Probably. Failure to win either of their final two Premier League fixtures could jeopardise that.
Mohamed Salah is leaving at the end of the season, as is Andy Robertson. Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones and Ibrahima Konate all face uncertain futures, so a lot rides on FSG getting the summer transfer strategy right.
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In attack, Liverpool have left so much to be desired. Even Alexander Isak, one of the best strikers in Europe, has fallen flat. Something needs to change.
Liverpool hunting move for Isak upgrade
When Isak arrived in Liverpool off the back of a record-breaking transfer from Newcastle United, the excitement was palpable. However, we've yet to see more than a glimpse of the Sweden striker's prowess.
Too often this season, Isak has seemed unwilling to embrace the pace and physicality than is demanded of high-level Premier League strikers.
Setbacks haven't helped him, but with Salah quitting and Hugo Ekitike lucky if he plays again in 2026 after rupturing his Achilles last month, FSG could do with a world-class attacking option to complement someone like RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande, so talented on the right flank but surely not ready to become a world-beater like, say...
... Kylian Mbappe is one of the best players in the world, and the thought of bringing him to Liverpool seems far-fetched. However, according to Football Insider, dreams could become reality on Merseyside, with FSG showing interest in the 27-year-old following a much-maligned period at Real Madrid.
According to CIES Football Observatory, the player has a transfer value of £160m, so he would shatter the British transfer record.
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Real Madrid are in disarray. Fists are flying and frustrations are intensifying. Mbappe is at the heart of it, and with significant changes expected in the French capital, Liverpool have been named as potential suitors for the global superstar.
Los Blancos are not going to want to lose Mbappe, of course, but if he does intimate his desire for a fresh challenge, Liverpool could sign a new striker to rival and even eclipse Isak.
Why Mbappe would become Liverpool's star forward
It's only natural to approach this report with a measure of... skepticism, but if Mbappe's relationship with key figures (such as the all-consuming fanbase) at Real Madrid is truly beginning to fray, then Liverpool would be one of a select few outfits across Europe with a genuine shot at signing the French forward.
Real Madrid CF’s Raul Asencio (c) celebrates goal with Kylian Mbappe (l) and Arda Guler
Mbappe is rather good. Since joining Real Madrid from PSG on a free transfer, he has scored 85 goals from 100 matches, with 41 from as many appearances posted this term.
Still, all is not well in sunny Madrid, for Alvaro Arbeloa's side are going trophyless, and the dressing room is anything but in concert.
For his part, Mbappe has been brilliant - from an individual standpoint, at least. His clinical edge and talismanic qualities could see him perfectly replace Salah's goals, proving far more reliable than Isak.
Twice in FIFA World Cups, the forward has proven his worth. Not that his world-class quality needs to be pinned down to those two occasions. More comprehensive is his incredible career record in front of goal, 424 goals for club and country.
That's remarkable, especially when considering the years he still has ahead of him. To put it into context, Salah has posted 399 goals across the entirety of his senior career.
Most Goals in Europe's Top-Five Leagues (active players)
Player
Robert Lewandowski
Harry Kane
Kylian Mbappe
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Mohamed Salah
Isak might have enjoyed prolific returns on Tyneside with Newcastle, but he's yet to prove he's up for it at Anfield, and Mbappe would provide Slot, should he stay, with the focal frontman needed to bounce back onto the grandest stage.
Not only a devastating goalscorer, Mbappe is also blisteringly quick and dynamic. In La Liga this season, he has won 4.2 duels and created 2.3 chances on average each game, and his tendancy to lean out onto the left could in fact solve the Cody Gakpo conundrum, all the while developing a potential partnership with Isak.
Signing Mbappe would come with a series of connotations. When Ekitike returns to health, how will the triad cohabit within Slot's team? Would Mbappe be content with shifting out onto the left?
Vinicius-Junior-Kylian-Mbappe
Probably not. Couple that with the Les Bleus skipper's astronomical wages, and this certainly doesn't feel very 'FSG-esque'.
But Mbappe is one of the best in the best, long deemed a shoo-in for the Ballon d'Or, perhaps several. He would replace Salah and then some, surely firing Liverpool back into the ascendancy.
Former Liverpool player Sadio Mane Related
[He's like Mane: Liverpool make proposal to sign "one of Europe's best wingers"](https://www.footballfancast.com/like-mane-liverpool-submit-proposal-to-sign-barcola/ "He's like Mane: Liverpool make proposal to sign "one of Europe's best wingers"")
The new Sadio Mane could be on his way to Liverpool this summer.