A Sky Sports claim almost certainly confirms that Liverpool will make further defensive signings this summer.
Liverpool have yet to really burst into action in the summer transfer market, with supporter anxiety increasing with the clock ticking ever steadily toward the 1 September deadline.
The Premier League season starts in less than three weeks, and Liverpool are no closer to completing the necessary business to equip Andoni Iraola with the tools required to mount even a flimsy title charge.
After releasing Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson on a free transfer a year after losing Trent Alexander-Arnold, the need for defensive signings has never been higher.
Yet, Sky Sports suggest none will be forthcoming.
Sky Sports claim defies recent reports over Liverpool defensive transfer plans
Reporting live on Sky Sports News, journalist Mark McAdam has made a bold claim, suggesting that Liverpool will not sign another defender this summer despite their glaring issues at the back.
When asked if Liverpool have to think about reinforcements at the back in the market, McAdam said: “No is the answer we are being told. I know a lot of people are saying, well, Joe Gomez is out injured, you’ve got Virgil van Dijk who is well into his 30s. You know, is he going to play every single game?
“My understanding is that Liverpool will not go into the market to sign a player for the next 4-6 weeks. It doesn’t make financial sense. They’re just gonna have to ride through the storm and then wait for their players to come back, and then they will be at full strength at the back.”
— ? (@BradleyLFC26) August 3, 2026
Recent Sky Sports track record with Liverpool transfers would suggest a defensive signing will happen
Sky Sports don’t exactly have the most glittering track record with recent Anfield acquisitions, so if I were to hazard a guess, I would say that they don’t have the inside track on Liverpool transfers anymore.
For example, Mark McAdam recently claimed on Sky Sports’ The Transfer Show: “There has still been no club-to-club contact between PSG and Liverpool at this stage over Bradley Barcola. If PSG want £145m, then what’s the point of putting in an offer for £100m? It’s going to get rejected, isn’t it?”
Current Liverpool defensive options
As things stand, Liverpool’s depth in defence is barely worthy of a top six finish, much less any realistic chance of winning silverware…
Centre-back options:
Virgil van Dijk
Joe Gomez (injured)
Jeremy Jacquet (20 y/o, hasn’t played a game since shoulder surgery after injury on 7 February 2026)
Giovanni Leoni (19 y/o, hasn’t played since ACL reconstruction surgery after injury on 23 September 2026)
Left-back options:
Milos Kerkez
Kostas Tsimikas
Right-back options:
Jeremie Frimpong
Conor Bradley (out injured since January 2026, return date unknown)
Calvin Ramsay (hasn’t played since 29 October 2025)
Verdict: Liverpool would be risking an entire season if they didn’t sign a right-back AND another centre-back
Given that Liverpool don’t even consider Jeremie Frimpong as a defender, the idea of them not signing another right-back this summer is even more concerning.
David Lynch reported on 9 June that “after missing out on Denzel Dumfries, the Reds are scouring the market for an option to bolster the right-hand side of their defence.” Lynch added that Liverpool has always been “privately been billed as an opportunistic signing whose usefulness comes in being dipped in and out of the team in various positions.”
Then you look at the centre-backs available to Iraola…
Aside from Virgil van Dijk, not a single of their central defenders guarantees anything at this moment in history. Gomez is the most unreliable defender to have played for the club in the modern era, and Leoni and Jacquet are both young and returning to full fitness after major surgeries that fractured their respective 2025/26 campaigns.
Not signing another centre-back and right-back simply cannot be the truth