Liverpool have used the 2026 summer window to draw a line under a disappointing title defence, moving on several long-serving names while working to secure others for the long term.
Dominik Szoboszlai signed a contract extension that could keep him at Anfield until 2031, a deal the club viewed as central to their rebuild under new head coach Andoni Iraola.
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That rebuild has already cost the club three recognisable faces. Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate all left on free transfers when their contracts expired at the end of June, alongside nine academy departures confirmed by the club.
Pre-season has since taken centre stage. Iraola’s squad opened their US tour with a win over Sunderland in Nashville on July 25, before facing Wrexham at Yankee Stadium on July 29 and Leeds United in Chicago on August 2, with the Premier League season starting at St. James Park against Newcastle United on August 23.
Contract business has not been confined to the first team. Eight academy players who returned to the AXA Training Centre for pre-season this month are believed to have signed new deals, after Liverpool offered fresh terms to prospects including Keyrol Figueroa and Kyle Kelly following this summer’s release list.
Jay Spearing looks set to extend his own long association with the club. The former Liverpool midfielder, now player-coach with the Reds’ under-21s, posted on Instagram on Friday appearing to confirm he has agreed a new contract for the 2026-27 season.
“Season 26/27, player coach, ready to go again!” Spearing wrote, tagging the club’s academy account and Liverpool FC’s main page.
Spearing, 37, came through Liverpool’s academy at Kirkby and made 55 appearances for the senior side. He started in the 2012 FA Cup final under Kenny Dalglish and made his first-team debut against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in December 2008, later featuring in a 4-0 win over Real Madrid at Anfield.
Since retiring as a full-time player, Spearing has combined a coaching role with occasional appearances for Liverpool’s under-21s. He worked initially with the under-18s before moving into his current player-coach role alongside under-21s head coach Rob Page.
Liverpool have not issued an official statement confirming the new deal, and Spearing’s post is, for now, the only indication his contract has been renewed.