The three major signings Liverpool could still agree this summer - including £50m Rodrygo alternative
Three players worth nearly £250m that could still move to Liverpool by the end of transfer deadline day.
The transfer window is almost over, but several Premier League clubs are likely to be busy in the hours leading up to Monday’s transfer deadline – and Liverpool, already the summer’s biggest spenders, could be the most active team of all.
Arne Slot is overseeing a major overhaul of the reigning champions and has already presided over the purchases of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Giovanni Leoni and Hugo Ekitike, but their business is almost certainly not over.
These are the three players that Liverpool could still sign before the summer window is over – and who could set them back another £200m or more…
Will Liverpool sign Alexander Isak this summer?
The big one, and the greatest unknown of the final days of the window. Alexander Isak has spent weeks burning bridges in a bid to force a move from Newcastle United to Anfield, but will Liverpool even make another offer?
Having made their interest in Isak public earlier in the window, Liverpool eventually made a £110m offer which they likely knew would be rejected, and have yet to come back to the table with something more substantial. £150m is likely to be the asking price. It’s still unclear whether the Reds will pay it.
While there’s no doubt that Liverpool want to sign Isak, are they prepared to pay top dollar? Would Newcastle obstinately refuse an offer anyway? Do they actually need Isak given that they spent so much on Ekitike, a broadly similar type of striker, anyway?
All questions to which only Slot and his transfer team currently know the answers, but the conclusion they reach will have significant implications for the title race and for Isak’s career.
Marc Guéhi could become Liverpool’s new centre-back
While Liverpool have signed the talented young centre-back Leoni to add some depth to their defence, they still look a little thin along the back line and early performances haven’t encouraged fans to believe that clean sheets will be easy to come by – as such, completing a deal for Marc Guéhi may prove to be even more important than the potential signing of Isak.
Liverpool have been pursuing Guéhi all summer, but Crystal Palace have held firm in their asking price and don’t seem likely to budge as the deadline nears. A game of brinksmanship seems likely to develop, with the result somewhat uncertain.
Personal terms wouldn’t be an issue, rather it’s a simple matter of whether Liverpool will raise their offer sufficiently to get the deal over the line and give their defence some extra steel. Would a deal for Isak cost so much that it torpedoed this transfer? Perhaps, but Guéhi wants the move and Liverpool want the player. The only thing standing in their way is that Palace want a fair price for a regular starter for the England national team.
Malick Fofana among quality wingers Liverpool could still sign
With Luis Díaz’s move to Bayern Munich and the tragic loss of Diogo Jota this summer, there has been constant speculation suggesting that Liverpool could add a new left winger, and the emergence of the supremely gifted Rio Ngumoha may not prevent the club from adding a new attacker.
Lyon winger Malick Fofana is perhaps the prime candidate if Liverpool do add a new winger, especially with reported interest in Real Madrid’s Rodrygo seemingly going nowhere. The French club’s financial problems aren’t forcing them to sell cheap, however, with the asking price allegedly set at around £50m. Signing the 20-year-old would be a major gamble.
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But Liverpool are looking to sign young and Fofana meets their requirements. A bid is highly unlikely if they do make a move for Isak, but should signing the Swede prove to be impossible, then it would be no surprise if the talented Frenchman is the subject of a late bid. Other teams are interested, too, however, and there have been rumours suggesting that Fofana is happy to stay at Lyon for another season. A complicated deal, then, but Liverpool are still keeping tabs on proceedings.
Ultimately, it may be that Liverpool are forced to choose between making one last move for Isak or filling out the rest of the team’s needs – but only Liverpool know just how much money that still have in their transfer fund. Whichever direction they take, expect Liverpool to make one of the biggest splashes as the summer window comes to a close.