Liverpool stance on signing Conor Bradley and Alexander Isak replacements this transfer window

Conor Bradley and Alexander Isak are both nursing serious injuries, but Liverpool does not intend to sign cover for either of them during the January transfer window

Conor Bradley will be out for the remainder of the season(Image: 2026 Marc Atkins)

Liverpool is unlikely to sign players to cover for the absences of Conor Bradley and Alexander Isak during the January transfer window.

Bradley suffered a season-ending knee injury last week, while Isak is still some way off a return after fracturing his left leg while scoring for Liverpool against Tottenham in December.

Isak is expected to return before the end of the campaign, while Liverpool is hopeful that Bradley will be available for the start of 2026-27 pre-season, and The Athletic says that Liverpool does not view it as necessary to sign players just to cover for a relatively short period of time.

Joe Gomez, Jeremie Frimpong, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones have all played at right-back under Arne Slot, so Liverpool is confident that the squad can manage without Bradley for a few months.

Scans on Bradley's knee thankfully eased fears that the player had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, but the player suffered significant bone and ligament damage.

Liverpool said that Bradley would undergo surgery in the coming days ahead of a period of rehabilitation.

Although the club said that no timeframe was being placed on Bradley's return, he is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Bradley is the second Liverpool defender to suffer an apparent season-ending injury this term, after new signing Giovanni Leoni sustained a serious knee injury of his own back in September.

Meanwhile, Liverpool is set to prioritize strengthening in the center of defense during the summer transfer window.

Alexander Isak suffered a broken leg in December(Image: 2025 Visionhaus)

It is reported that there has been no breakthrough in contract talks with Ibrahima Konate, who will be free to leave Liverpool as a free agent on July 1 as things stand.

Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are both into the last 18 months of their deals too, and Van Dijk turns 35 this year, while Gomez has been plagued by fitness issues for over a year.

Liverpool could also be in the market for a right-sided forward in the summer, depending on what happens when Mohamed Salah returns to Merseyside following the conclusion of his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations.

The AFCON third-place play-off takes place on Saturday, with the final scheduled for Sunday.

Egypt will be involved in one of those games after securing a semifinal spot with a 3-2 win over the Ivory Coast in the last eight. Salah is expected to return to Liverpool next week.