Arne Slot has worked wonders turning Jurgen Klopp's squad into Premier League champions elect, but the Reds need to do much more work if they are to kick on - and that means realising they have much more to do this summer than they did in 2024
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Updated 14:30, 20 Mar 2025
Luis Diaz is among a number of players at Anfield whose futures are in question
Luis Diaz is among a number of players at Anfield whose futures are in question
After a quiet summer last year, Liverpool MUST have a busy one this time with question marks over several big names. Arne Slot felt like a kid in a sweet shop when he took over Liverpool last June and saw the talent at his disposal.
Slot knew he didn’t need much and Liverpool made a failed bid for Martin Zubimendi before the Dutchman turned Ryan Gravenberch into the No.6 he wanted. The Reds did sign Federico Chiesa because it appeared an opportune deal, but the Italian has only been a peripheral figure. Liverpool ruled out replacing Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk as they tried to negotiate new contracts with the trio.
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But while Slot worked his magic to turn Liverpool into Premier League champions elect, the last few weeks have shown the Reds need to be active this summer. Slot has been over-reliant on too many players and needs a deeper pool to rotate more as his big names have tired.
Liverpool could be looking for replacements for Salah, Alexander-Arnold and van Dijk and the three have still not agreed new terms with any of them. Conor Bradley could replace Alexander-Arnold at right-back and it would then be a question of do Liverpool want cover for the Northern Ireland star?
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Caoimhin Kelleher will leave and he will not want to be third choice when Giorgi Mamardashvili arrives. Kelleher will have just a year left on his Liverpool contract this summer and Nottingham Forest and Newcastle like the Republic of Ireland No.1.
Joe Gomez was eyed up by Bayern Munich last summer and Liverpool do not want to lose their longest-serving player, who even pre-dates Jurgen Klopp. He is more versatile than a Swiss Army knife and he can be deployed in any number of positions. Kostas Tsimikas could go if Liverpool sign a top left-back to challenge Andy Robertson. Robertson is adamant he does not feel his time at Liverpool is coming to an end, but he has lost a yard of pace and has been exposed in games.
Caoimhin Kelleher
Caoimhin Kelleher is expected to leave Liverpool this summer(Image: Getty Images)
Is a bit-part role enough for Harvey Elliott?
Is a bit-part role enough for Harvey Elliott?(Image: Getty Images)
Wataru Endo must also decide his future and it is clear he will only be a bit-part player under Slot, even though he has made more appearances in recent weeks.
The same applies to Harvey Elliott and he does not want to be Liverpool’s supersub when he has his whole career ahead of him. Dominik Szoboszlai has made the No.10 role his own and Elliott has slipped below Curtis Jones in Slot’s pecking order. Liverpool may need a major refit if Salah goes and while Cody Gakpo is secure after having his best season, question marks remain over the Reds’ other forward options.
Barcelona have long admired Luis Diaz, but do they have the cash to make a move happen? Diogo Jota is Liverpool’s fox in the box, their best natural finisher, but he has really struggled to maintain top form this season because of injuries. The Portugal striker has managed just eight goals in 29 appearances and looked lost against Paris Saint Germain.
Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz of Liverpool acknowledge the fans
Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz could leave Anfield in the summer
Then there’s Darwin Nunez and although he has had his highlight moments, like his winning stoppage-time goals against Brentford, he has had far more negative ones. The Uruguayan has just seven goals in his 40 appearances and could cost Liverpool up to £85million with clauses. The problem for Liverpool is how to get anything near their money back and they look stuck with him unless they can offload him to Saudi Arabia’s Pro League.
It is clear that sporting director Richard Hughes has much to do this summer.
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