Liverpool are still working to reinforce their squad but it may require a sale should the midfield be selected for transformation
Alexis Mac Allister of Argentina and Liverpool
Alexis Mac Allister of Argentina and Liverpool(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
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Liverpool continue to be put through their paces in Chicago as they build up their pre-season tour ahead of the first game against Sunderland in Nashville on Saturday evening.
But already new Reds head coach Andoni Iraola has gained an understanding of how his squad remains short of numbers, even when considering the eight players currently missing due to World Cup participation.
Iraola acknowledges a new right-winger and at least one defender are both needed. However, should he choose to revamp his midfield in any way, it is almost certain one of the current senior players would need to be moved on.
Which, though, should it be? Who offers the best option in terms of finance and quality? Our ECHO writers take a look...
Ian Doyle
First, a declaration: Alexis Mac Allister is Liverpool's most talented midfielder, has played in the last two World Cup finals for a reason and, in his first two years at Anfield, placed himself among the best engine-room operators to represent the club during the Premier League era.
Last season, though, was a very different story, with Mac Allister among many Liverpool players to fall well short of the standards they had set in previous campaigns.
Perhaps it was because Mac Allister has been such an important, influential cog in the Reds machine that his drop-off appeared so alarming. Certainly, he wasn't the only one.
It's telling, though, that while fellow midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai have signed new deals, Mac Allister, despite being in the last two years of his current contract, hasn't even opened talks over a fresh agreement.
In an ideal world, there's no chance Liverpool would entertain the sale of Mac Allister, and new head coach Andoni Iraola has made clear how much he values the talents of the Argentina international. If Mac Allister returns to the player of old, then he is one of the first names on the teamsheet.
But money talks and, aged 27, Mac Allister is at his peak in terms of resale value this summer. Real Madrid have long been linked, although his father recently dismissed claims a move was imminent.
True, if Liverpool need to free up space in midfield, either Curtis Jones or Wataru Endo - both in the last 12 months of their deal - appear the more likely to be moved on.
Neither, however, would command anywhere near the same fee as Mac Allister. It would be with extreme reluctance - but if the Reds decide they need a new high-profile midfielder, and believe Mac Allister cannot regain former glories, it may have to be the Argentine who makes way.
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Mark Jones
Ultimately this becomes a process of elimination.
Any Liverpool midfield revamp isn't going to be kicked into gear by the sale of 33-year-old Wataru Endo, however popular the Japanese is, while the Reds won't raise huge amounts were they to offload Curtis Jones given that he too is in the last year of his contract.
Speaking of contracts, Dominik Szoboszlai has just signed a new one and Ryan Gravenberch did likewise four months ago. Whatever the Liverpool midfield ends up looking like, it is clear that the club want those two players to be part of it.
There is also Trey Nyoni, who could be primed for a big breakthrough this season, and Harvey Elliott, who has seen his value decimated in the past year, but again neither of them are going to make many waves should they be moved on.
All of which means that the finger ends up being pointed at Alexis Mac Allister, a wonderful midfielder for Liverpool in his first two seasons, but one of many who struggled in the last campaign.
Andoni Iraola has already been at pains to point out that he wants to keep the 2022 World Cup winner and 2026 finalist at the club, and so he should, but if the new Reds boss also wants a new face in midfield and is required to lose one of his current ones, then Mac Allister would seem to be the man most likely.
With two years left on his deal, an impressive summer in the US, Canada and Mexico in the bank and apparent interest from clubs on the continent, if Liverpool wanted to move him on then the timing is surely right.
For now Iraola wants him in his squad though, and you can see exactly why.