Ibrahima Konaté, Arne Slot & Mohamed Salahplaceholder image
Ibrahima Konaté, Arne Slot & Mohamed Salah | Getty Images
Liverpool could be set to lose several players in the summer transfer window - these are the players who could be on the way out.
Despite spending an estimated £446m last summer and shattering the British transfer record to sign Alexander Isak, it’s fair to say that Liverpool’s season hasn’t quite gone according to plan. Rather than pushing towards a second consecutive Premier League title, they find themselves well off the pace and struggling to secure even a Champions League berth.
That failure to meaningfully kick on under Arne Slot means that a summer of change could be on its way to Anfield – and several players who are currently firmly in the first-team rotation could be on their way out. With the end of the campaign not so far away, we’ve taken a look at the players who could leave Liverpool soon, according to current press reports.
Who will join Mohamed Salah as he leaves Liverpool this summer?
Undoubtedly the most important player who will leave Liverpool in the summer transfer window is winger Mohamed Salah. The club has announced that the legendary Egyptian will be released from his contract at the end of the season, and he seems likely to move to either Saudi Arabia or the United States.
Liverpool, of course, won’t get a penny from Salah’s departure, although getting his £400,000 per week wages won’t do the financial situation any harm. But Salah may not be the only attacking player heading out of the door.
A few tentative reports – from Football365, among others – suggest that the club are searching for a buyer for Cody Gakpo, who could be valued at around £45m. Such stories are strictly speculative, as it stands, but a few teams are alleged to be interested (including Tottenham Hotspur if they stay up) and there have even been suggestions that Liverpool have offered him to RB Leipzig in part-exchange for Yan Diomande, a potential Salah replacement.
We don’t believe that it’s necessarily probable that Gakpo leaves, although he would likely be available at the right price. We also expect Liverpool to keep hold of Alexis Mac Allister despite occasional speculation about a move to Spain – although Curtis Jones could end up leaving, with Inter Milan still believed to be interested after investigating the possibility of signing the England international in January. Had it gone through, that deal may have been worth up to £35m.
Several key defenders expected to leave Liverpool in the transfer window
Salah doesn’t look likely to be the only player who will depart on a free transfer at the end of the current campaign. Andrew Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté are both coming to the end of their contracts. The club are trying but thus far failing to extend Konaté’s deal as it stands, and a decision has yet to be made on Robertson.
They could at least get a transfer fee out of veteran goalkeeper Alisson, whose future is once again a source of speculation due to interest from the Saudi Pro League and Serie A. Yahoo! have reported that a prospective deal with Juventus would fetch no more than €15m (£13m), but it would clear the way for Giorgio Mamardashvili to take over as first choice.
Tentative reports suggest that Joe Gomez would fetch about twice that – something like £25m – should he leave Anfield this summer. Several Premier League sides, including Aston Villa and Bournemouth, have been speculatively linked with a bid for the 28-year-old, who has failed to convince Slot that he is worth a place in the starting side.
Gomez has just one year left on his current contract, suggesting that a sale may be necessary if Liverpool want to ensure that they get a transfer fee – but a distinct lack of depth in defence means that they may end up hanging on if a cost-effective replacement can’t be found.
All told, few of the players linked with a move away from Anfield look likely to command a significant fee – which could make the challenge of rejuvenating a squad in need of some extra depth and quality even greater. A difficult and potentially decisive transfer window awaits.
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