The summer of change at Anfield is well underway, but some of the most consequential decisions of Liverpool’s rebuild under Andoni Iraola have nothing to do with incomings.
They concern the players already at the club and the clock ticking quietly on more than a handful of contracts that expire in just twelve months.
As of the beginning of July, eleven Liverpool players have entered the final year of their respective deals.
The scale of that number is significant.
It is one thing to manage one or two contract situations simultaneously.
Managing eleven players across different positions, different ages, different levels of importance to the new manager’s project, is an administrative and strategic challenge that will occupy Richard Hughes and his recruitment team for much of the summer.
The most high-profile situation involves Virgil van Dijk, who turns 35 this month and is now in the second half of a two-year extension signed in April 2025.
Reports linking the club captain with AC Milan and Fenerbahçe have been firmly dismissed by Anfield sources as per the Liverpool Echo, and Liverpool are planning for the season ahead with van Dijk very much on board.
He will be a critical sounding board for Iraola as the Basque manager adjusts to life at his new club.
Alisson Becker’s situation had attracted serious attention from Juventus, with the Brazilian goalkeeper understood to have been receptive to a move on after eight years at the club.
However, a year extension in his contract was triggered in March, and the expectation is now that Alisson will remain at Anfield this season before reassessing options in 2027.
Curtis Jones presents perhaps the most urgent commercial decision.
Inter Milan’s pursuit throughout the summer fell short as their offer of around £22 million failing to meet Liverpool’s £35 million valuation.
Nottingham Forest have since been linked following their £116 million windfall from selling Elliot Anderson to Manchester City.
Liverpool will not sell cheaply given that context, but the risk of losing Jones for nothing in twelve months is equally unpalatable.
Iraola’s ability to offer him genuine minutes may prove the decisive factor in whether talks over a new deal can be reopened.
Harvey Elliott’s situation is arguably the most intriguing.
A season-long loan at Aston Villa produced minimal minutes, largely due to the club’s financial caution over making the deal permanent.
His valuation has softened since RB Leipzig’s interest last summer.
But a new manager with fresh ideas represents an opportunity, and pre-season will be telling.
Joe Gomez, the club’s longest-serving player at eleven years, admitted in May he simply did not know what came next.
With Ibrahima Konate gone, his experience at centre-back may prove more necessary than initially anticipated.
Across the eleven, the pattern is clear: Liverpool must act decisively, or risk another summer of avoidable exits.