The latest Liverpool news as the Premier League champions could break their club-record transfer fee this summer
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Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk celebrates scoring their side's fourth goal in the FA Cup fourth round match against Norwich City
Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk celebrates scoring their side's fourth goal in the FA Cup fourth round match against Norwich City
(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Whether it’s Alexander Isak or Florian Wirtz, some of the players Liverpool are being linked with ahead of the summer transfer window would require a club-record fee.
Jeremie Frimpong is expected to be the first arrival in what is shaping up to be a significant few months for the Premier League champions. However, the Dutchman will arrive for a modest £30million, with the Reds having informed Bayer Leverkusen of their intention to trigger his release clause.
Liverpool came close to breaking their current transfer record in the summer of 2023, when they had a monumental £111 million bid accepted by Brighton for midfielder Moises Caicedo. However, the move never materialised, as the player had already been in discussions with Chelsea for several months.
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The London club ultimately signed the Ecuadorian international, breaking not only their own transfer record but also the British transfer record in the process. How the upcoming summer unfolds for Arne Slot and Liverpool’s recruitment team remains to be seen, but it’s worth reflecting on the club’s previous record-breaking transfers, as some of those figures could well be surpassed ahead of next season.
Striker Darwin Nunez is currently Liverpool’s most expensive signing, following his £85million move from Benfica in 2022. The Uruguayan arrived with high expectations, but has arguably yet to fully live up to them. With speculation over his future, he could depart this summer, just three years into the six-year deal he signed upon joining the club.
Before Nunez, central defender Virgil van Dijk held the title of Liverpool’s record signing. Not only did his £75million move from Southampton break the club’s transfer record, but it also made him the most expensive defender at the time.
Mohamed Salah has been a revelation since signing for Liverpool in 2017
Mohamed Salah has been a revelation since signing for Liverpool in 2017
Surprisingly, Mohamed Salah was also a club-record signing when he joined from Serie A side Roma in the summer of 2017. The £39million fee - now modest in comparison to today’s inflated market - was considered a gamble by some, given his previous stint in the Premier League with Chelsea. However, it has since proven to be one of the most successful signings in the club’s history with 244 goals in 399 games, per transfermarkt, and a career total of 321 including his stints at El Mokawloon SC, FC Basel, Chelsea, Fiorentina and AS Roma as well.
Salah’s arrival eclipsed the club-record fee paid for Andy Carroll in January 2011, when the striker joined from Newcastle United for a reported £35million. Carroll made just 58 appearances for Liverpool before being loaned out and eventually sold to West Ham at a significant loss as the striker failed to justify his transfer fee for the Reds.
Liverpool announcing the signings of Andy Carroll (left) and Luis Suarez (right) with then-manager Kenny Dalglish in 2011
Liverpool announcing the signings of Andy Carroll (left) and Luis Suarez (right) with then-manager Kenny Dalglish in 2011
Other notable and more successful record-breaking striker signings include Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres, who arrived from Ajax and Atletico Madrid in 2011 and 2007 respectively. Both players went on to be sold for substantial profits to Barcelona and Chelsea.
Going further back, Djibril Cisse and Emile Heskey were record arrivals in the early 2000s. Even earlier, Liverpool broke their transfer record to re-sign Ian Rush from Juventus in the 1980s, while Kenny Dalglish’s move from Celtic in the late 1970s was also a landmark deal at the time.