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With just over three weeks until the start of the new Premier League season, the make-up of Liverpool’s squad for the 2025/26 is coming into sharper focus.
It has been a busy summer of arrivals at Anfield this window, with Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez joining as the early headline summer signings, while Giorgi Mamardashvili, Freddie Woodman and Armin Pesci have been brought in as part of the new-look goalkeeping unit.
With phase one complete, a pause in transfer business followed. The tragic passing of Diogo Jota on July 3 also meant any thought of incomings and outgoings felt completely irrelevant. For weeks, it was the last thing on anyone’s mind as the club struggled to cope with the forward’s devastating death.
But there is a feeling around Liverpool that, while it’s imperative to handle Jota’s passing with sensitivity and respect, winning silverware again next season could be the best way to honour the competitive Portugal star.
“I've said to them [the players], maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota was,” said Arne Slot in the wake of his fatal car crash.
“And what I meant with that is that Jota was always himself, it didn't matter if he was talking to me, to his team-mates, to the staff, he was always himself. So let us try to be ourselves as well.”
As Liverpool prepares for the new season, Hugo Ekitike’s transfer is expected to be concluded imminently, after the Reds agreed a transfer fee with Eintracht Frankfurt for a deal worth up to $106million (£79M). That is unlikely to be the final signing of what has been a frenetic summer.
A center-back is still needed given Slot has just three senior options at present. But the capacity for Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch to be utilized as auxiliary defenders has reduced the sense of urgency.
Marc Guehi is a player Liverpool likes, although there has been no breakthrough in recent weeks. That could change after Ekitike’s deal is concluded and focus inevitably shifts elsewhere.
Ideally, the Reds would prefer a younger option to the Crystal Palace man, with the likes of Jorrel Hato and Castello Lukeba linked with moves. But Guehi’s unique status as an English international who could be available for a knockdown price given his contract expires next year, has piqued Liverpool’s interest.
Elsewhere, Liverpool.com understands signing a new wide forward has not been ruled out. There is still an expectation that Federico Cheisa and Luis Diaz could leave this summer, with the latter attracting interest from Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Al-Nassr.
Rodrygo has emerged as an intriguing option in recent reports, while Anthony Gordon and Malick Fofana’s names continue to crop up in the rumor mill.
Darwin Nunez will most probably move on too, amid interest from the Saudi Pro League, while AC Milan has also been mentioned in recent transfer reports. Assuming he does leave, that could open the door for Jayden Danns to play more of a senior role this season.
The striker was omitted from the squad that flew to Hong Kong on Sunday as he recovers from injury. Sources have told Liverpool.com that scans on the back injury that prevented him from playing since January have come back clear.
Danns feeds into a wider feeling among Slot and his staff that a bigger squad will be needed this season. The Dutchman even referenced at the end of last term how a lack of rotation impacted his side in the Champions League exit against Paris Saint-Germain.
Trey Nyoni and Rio Nguhoma, who have both started the opening two pre-season matches, are also expected to play a bigger role this season.
James McConnell was on the fringes of the squad last campaign but is expected to leave either on loan or in a permanent move, while Tyler Morton will probably depart, and Ben Doak is attracting widespread interest across the Premier League.
As is Harvey Elliott, who met up with the squad in Hong Kong after a phased return to pre-season following his summer exploits at the Under-21 European Championships.
Youngster Kadie Gordon will leave on loan amid interest from clubs in the Championship and League One, while Owen Beck, Luca Stephenson and Lewis Koumas have all been linked with short-term departures.
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