Liverpool are now reportedly in talks to sign a Premier League star, with one mainstay player heading towards the Anfield exit door this summer.
Liverpool make summer plans as Arne Slot pressure grows
Arne Slot's position at Liverpool has rarely felt more precarious.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot looks on before the match
A 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Man City — where supporters openly chanted the name of Xabi Alonso — summed up the mood at the club and reportedly prompted FSG to bring forward their review of the manager's future.
Alonso, who has been out of work since his dismissal by Real Madrid, is the name most associated with a potential replacement.
FSG's current stance appears to be giving Slot the chance to put things right next season, but that position may well be conditional on Champions League qualification, with the club facing a Champions League quarter-final against PSG tonight that will go a long way to defining how the rest of the campaign is judged.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot reacts during the match Related
["Incredible" manager FSG wanted before Slot now Liverpool's top target, he's ready to join](https://www.footballfancast.com/liverpool-fsg-interest-xabi-alonso-arne-slot-manager-replacement/ ""Incredible" manager FSG wanted before Slot now Liverpool's top target, he's ready to join")
The Reds are eyeing an "incredible" manager.
Slot himself has publicly confirmed he is involved in planning for the summer window, a statement widely read as a signal that he expects to remain in his job regardless.
Whether he does or not, the issues that need addressing are not in doubt.
Mohamed Salah's departure at the end of the season has been confirmed, and Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister are among those rumoured to be on the list of players the club is prepared to move on.
The spine of last season's title-winning side is breaking up faster than the club anticipated.
Van-Dijk-Liverpool
At the back in particular, the situation is pressing.
Virgil van Dijk is 34 and has shown signs of decline, while Ibrahima Konate's contract situation remains unresolved, and the club's recruitment of centre-backs Jeremy Jacquet and Ifeanyi Ndukwe suggests they are already preparing for a significant rebuild in that area.
Which is where Marcos Senesi enters the picture.
Liverpool in talks to sign Bournemouth star Marcos Senesi on free transfer
According to CaughtOffside, Liverpool are among three Premier League clubs in active talks over signing the Bournemouth defender.
marcos-senesi-bournemouth-premier-league
The 28-year-old has been one of the more reliable performers at the Vitality Stadium since his arrival, and his contract expiring this summer means any interested party can move without paying a transfer fee — an attractive proposition for clubs with competing financial demands elsewhere.
Konate is also heading towards a Merseyside departure as things stand, so Senesi would be a ready-made replacement.
The complication, as the report notes, is that the most advanced talks are not with any of the English sides.
Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are described as the frontrunners, with a move to La Liga considered the most likely outcome at this stage.
That being said, it is claimed that Senesi's camp are still open to staying in England, depending on the offers, of course.
marcos-senesi-argentina
Senesi's wage expectations are also described as pretty substantial.
This is likely to be the final significant contract of his career, and he is expected to push for terms reflecting that. Which club is most willing to meet those demands will be a significant factor.
For Liverpool, the appeal is straightforward.
A proven Premier League centre-back available on a free offers a low-risk way to add cover and competition to a position where depth is now a clear problem.
Whether they can persuade him that Anfield is the right destination — over the pull of Barcelona or Atlético — is a different question entirely.
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