It is fair to say that Liverpool have had an encouraging summer transfer window so far, though it certainly seems it is not over.
Having smashed the British transfer record to bring in Florian Wirtz for circa £115 million, this was swiftly followed up with the £29.5 million capture of his teammate from Bayer Leverkusen, Jeremie Frimpong to replace right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold who moved Real Madrid. To expedite his move before the World Club Championship, the Spanish side paid £10 million for a player they could have got for free once the window opened.
Not far behind him was left-back Milos Kerkez who signed from Bournemouth for around £40 million. Following a brief break, the club then moved quickly to land forward Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for £69 million plus a possible £10 million in add-ons after Newcastle made a bid.
The club is also trying to balance its books. Perhaps reluctantly, they sold winger Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for £65.5 million, while they received a very healthy £30 million for centre-back Jarrell Quansah. Also, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher joined Brentford as well for £18 million.
Another Transfer Blitz Pending?
Liverpool’s interest in Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak is no secret. Indeed, towards the end of the season, he was identified as a ‘dream signing’ by the club, though this looked considerably ambitious. Indeed, even many online betting sites have opened a market on whether the forward will move to Liverpool this summer, though it is surely just a matter of time.
It has turned into the transfer saga of the summer. Apparent injuries kept the Swede out of the club’s pre-season tour, though there is seemingly more to this than meets the eye.
Over the last week, Liverpool’s interest has suddenly become realistic and despite having a £110 million bid rejected, it is believed the Reds could lodge another. The Magpies want £150 million and while this probably won’t happen, there appears to be confidence that a deal could be done for somewhere in between these figures, plus add-ons.
The biggest concern for Reds’ fans though is likely to be at centre-back. Virgil Van Dijk signing a new two-year deal was hailed as a masterstroke (in addition to Mohamed Salah doing the same), though with Ibrahima Konate being linked with a move away, they could all of a sudden, be very light in this area.
Similar to the club’s pursuit of Isak, Liverpool are involved in another long-running transfer story. Links to Crystal Palace and England centre-back Marc Guehi won’t go away, though the Eagles are demanding £50 million. It seems negotiations are still ongoing and this is one, like with Isak that could run all summer. Even if the club does sign Guehi and whether or not Konate leaves, one more centre-back at the very least could join as well to add much-needed depth.
Any Other Business?
It is no secret that striker Darwin Nunez is surplus to requirements. The club, it seems have identified him as a considerable ‘book balancer’ though Napoli’s £42 million bid fell someway short of Liverpool’s valuation – reportedly around the £70 million mark.
Napoli turned their attention elsewhere, while Juventus – another Serie A club who were linked also seem to have satisfied their need in attack. It leaves a move to Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal as an option, with the club reportedly looking for a striker. Despite having a bottomless pit of cash, it remains to be seen whether the Saudi club would be willing to pay the fee that the Reds want.
Federico Chiesa is another who Liverpool are trying to offload and a move back to Italy could materialise, though the fee is unlikely to be anything over £15 million.
Should Isak sign, Liverpool are still likely to look at a winger (especially after the tragic death of Diogo Jota) and Lyon hotshot Malick Fofana has been linked. Should these remaining moves materialise it would represent a superb transfer window for the club.
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