The five players Liverpool could sell this summer to build mighty £292m transfer war chest

While the single most significant change that will take place at Anfield this summer has already happened with the departure of Jürgen Klopp, the club are still expected to be busy in the transfer market as they mould the squad in new manager Arne Slot’s image.

Slot’s methods aren’t so drastically different from Klopp’s and while there are differences – Slot prefers a double pivot in midfield, for instance, which may necessitate signing a more defensively-minded midfielder – the bulk of their will focus on upgrading in key areas and adding depth and quality where required. But bigger changes may still be required if some of the stalwarts of the Klopp era leave, and that isn’t a very distant prospect.

Five players still under contract have been linked with a move away from Anfield already, and their departures would present some severe headaches for Liverpool’s scouting team – but also some much-needed funds to build the team up further. These are the players who could move on:

Darwin Núñez

The frustrating forward sparked speculation over his future towards the end of the season when he deleted almost all references to Liverpool from his Instagram account – which, in modern footballing language, is the equivalent of issuing an old-fashioned ‘come and get me plea’.

Since then, reports have suggested that the club have little intention of selling the intermittently-wayward Uruguayan, but that hasn’t prevented him from being linked with a move to Barcelona. The Catalan giants’ financial issues may well scupper such a move, but a recent deal with Nike might provide the funds to make it happen. A report in the Spanish media suggested that Liverpool might be prepared to do business for £73m, although that has the ring of guesswork – but also of the kind of fee the club should probably be happy to sell at, especially if Darwin has become disillusioned with life in the UK. And if he wasn’t already, an election cycle is a good way to get there fast.

Alisson

This is, so far, a single source rumour and as such should be treated with due scepticism, but TeamTalk claim that the Brazilian goalkeeper could be the subject of a “monster” offer from Saudi Arabia this summer – although they also admit that Alisson himself is likely to want to stay in European football for now.

No fee is mentioned but it would have to be massive for Liverpool to consider moving into an especially busy goalkeeper market this summer, and certainly far north of the rather stingy €28m (£23.8m) that Transfermarkt estimate him to be worth. We suspect he will stay put, but watch this space, just in case.

Caoimhín Kelleher

Liverpool’s second-choice goalkeeper is, however, very likely to leave indeed. The Irishman has impressed when called upon and may have grown tired of playing second fiddle, with reports suggesting that Wolverhampton Wanderers and Celtic are among the teams interested in signing him this summer.

Reports suggest that Liverpool will want around £20m for his signature, which seems a bit steep, but it’s very likely that their resolve is tested before too long. The 25-year-old has two years left on his contract, usually the point at which the priority becomes to either re-sign a player or let him go to get good value, and this is likely to be the latter.

Luis Díaz

Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona are reputed to be interested in the Colombian winger, who has 16 league goals in two-and-a-half years at Anfield. The 27-year-old’s movement, pace and dribbling make him a genuine threat down the flanks, but he has only produced goals in fits and starts, so it would be no great shock to see Liverpool allow him to leave.

£75m is the rumoured transfer fee and it’s fair to say that only one of the interested parties can comfortably afford that, but that would surely be sufficient to prise him away. It would leave Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota as the only “recognised” options at left wing, but would free up the funds to sign Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United.

Mohamed Salah

The big one. Many sources are convinced that Salah will sign a new deal and stay – others that another big offer from the Saudi Pro League will convince him to part ways with the club at which he has become a legend of the game. If they do let him go, Liverpool will have a lot of cash at their disposal, but also a massive void to fill.

There is always the risk, as well, that such a windfall creates a situation similar to the one Barcelona found themselves in when they sold Neymar to PSG for a record-shattering sum back in 2017, with clubs gouging Liverpool for all that they’re worth. But on the flip side, Salah turns 32 this summer and some amount of decline is inevitable in the near future. Should they cash in while they can for a fee likely to be well in excess of £100m? It would change the club as we know it, if Klopp’s departure hasn’t already, and this is the single biggest question that still faces the club.