Liverpool still has lots of work to do before the Sept. 1 transfer deadline, with Andoni Iraola already having insisted that a couple of new stars will come through the door
Andoni Iraola after Newcastle 2-2 Liverpool.
Andoni Iraola after Newcastle 2-2 Liverpool.(Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
When Mohamed Salah made public his decision to leave Liverpool this summer, it was March. Five months later, the search for a right-sided forward to come in and replace him continues.
Victor Munoz, of course, has come in from Osasuna, and Rio Ngumoha is expected to take on a bigger chunk of minutes this term, but both of those players are more naturally left-sided. So too are Cody Gakpo and primary transfer target Bradley Barcola.
There is an obvious gap in the Liverpool starting XI, and with six more days remaining until the Reds can no longer bring new players in until January, the clock is ticking increasingly loudly.
"We will definitely sign some players," head coach Andoni Iraola promised Jamie Carragher in a Sky Sports interview last week.
"Some deals you have to wait until the end. But the end is the important picture, the one we will have on September 1, because it is true that we are still quite thin."
Interest in Ismaila Sarr subsequently emerged on Wednesday, with the Senegal forward, who also has interest from Galatasaray, hoping to leave Selhurst Park.
Still with three years left on his contract, however, it is not a deal that would be easy. Crystal Palace wants to keep Sarr, and Liverpool can't see a repeat of the Marc Guehi saga a year ago.
He is also 28 and would be very costly, making it an eyebrow-raising move.
10 years younger, Ibrahim Mbaye has been considered, but he was only ever one of a number of options being assessed.
And Yankuba Minteh, should Brighton reduce the asking price, might still be an option again. So far, Liverpool has seen bids worth $68 million (£50 million) and $82 million (£60 million) turned down for the Gambian.
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The Seagulls are said to want as much as $108 million (£80 million), which feels excessive, but Brighton knows that Liverpool is desperate for reinforcements, and that isn't a great bargaining position.
Barcola, of course, remains the top target — and the most expensive. According to The Times, negotiations are ongoing, with a possibility that PSG will reduce the steep price it has been demanding.
That, though, will not be enough on its own. Barcola is excellent, but he can't fill all of the holes that need to be addressed on his own.
Iraola said multiple signings would be coming, and that is still very much a possibility at this stage. But — and this won't help sporting director Richard Hughes around the negotiating table — Liverpool simply can't afford for the window to end any other way.