This summer’s Liverpool transfer rumors were always going to be more intense because the Reds were preparing for one of their busier transfer windows.
Recent seasons have seen few new players arrive at Anfield because Jurgen Klopp’s team only required minor adjustments during a five-year span in which they won every major award available to them.
In the past two years, the only high-profile arrivals have been Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, and Ibrahima Konate, though the Uruguayan was accompanied by young players Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay.
And while the trio of Kostas Tsimikas, Thiago Alcantanra, and Diogo Jota joined Liverpool in the summer of 2021, the only other additions since Liverpool won the Champions League in 2019 have been goalkeepers Adrian and Andy Lonergan, free agents, and teenagers Harvey Elliott and Sepp van den Berg, as well as Takumi Minamino, who joined in the middle of the season after his £7.25m release clause was activated.
Liverpool’s promise persuaded Man City’s goalkeeper to convince his teammates that they would win the Champions League.
But it’s clear that more surgery will be needed this summer as Liverpool plans a midfield makeover because Klopp’s first great Reds team is now at the end of its cycle, as evidenced by an aging team playing through a transitional season in 2022–23.
The first newcomer was Alexis MacAllister, who joined from Brighton and Hove Albion two weeks after the Premier League season ended for an estimated fee of £35 million. The World Cup winner is anticipated to be one of two, if not three, new engine-room additions this summer, and the Reds are also interested in a left-sided center-back.
Naturally, Liverpool’s disastrous season last year made things more difficult in the transfer department. Although they had initially expressed interest in Jude Bellingham, they withdrew from the race to sign the England international in April after realizing that they needed to spread out their transfer budget in order to acquire a number of quality new hires rather than a single marquee new signing.
Liverpool’s budget and the players they could afford to target were also uncertain because of the Reds’ potential Champions League qualification or exclusion.
As the ECHO noted back in March, as a result, the club’s shortlist of potential signings was longer than usual. A major summer was always anticipated at Anfield, which ultimately led to increased transfer rumors going hand in hand with such planning.
Manu Kone, Ryan Gravenberch, Gabri Veiga, and Romeo Lavia are thought to be just a few of the names on Liverpool’s list of potential signings in midfield along with Khephren Thuram, which was first reported by the ECHO earlier this summer. The Reds are still rumored to be interested in both Micky van de Ven and Goncalo Inacio, but defensive stalwart Levi Colwill has supporters at Anfield.
As a result, inquiries and informal discussions about some of the mentioned players have taken place. However, these are merely the Reds’ customary due diligence as they consider their options and not’stepped up’ transfer talks, and there are currently no new developments regarding Liverpool’s incoming business.
Liverpool is not yet at a point where they are stepping up their efforts to land their second signing of the summer, despite reports in recent days suggesting that they are in talks for players like Lavia and Veiga. Club sources have dismissed such rumors.
Although Klopp had earlier stated that he would like to see new additions made in time for the start of preseason on July 8, it was quickly realized that this would not be possible. To begin with, a number of players of interest are currently taking part in the Under-21s European Championships in Romania and Georgia, which are scheduled to end on the same day that the Reds return for preseason.
So, if Liverpool made a move for any of the rival players, they would have to hold off until the conclusion of their international exploits. The need for quick progress on such transfers is therefore eliminated because, if signed, such players would be given time off before reporting for pre-season toward the end of July.
Lavia isn’t taking part in the European Championships, admittedly, due to an injury, whereas Veiga’s contract reportedly has a £34 million transfer release clause. As a result, the Reds would be free to reach an agreement now if they were moving forward with a transfer for either player at this time.
Instead, as Liverpool continues to consider their options and has a number of players on their shortlist before further narrowing it down to their one desired target, reported talks and inquiries remain just due diligence.
