Liverpool’s incomings dominate the landscape, but five may be utilised to boost their transfer budget
The focus at Anfield is on fresh arrivals as Liverpool looks to add to Alexis MacAllister’s squad.
Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Naby Keita are the four senior players who have left Merseyside. The Reds have identified targets, and several names have been
connected to a move.
Khephren Thuram, Gabri Veiga, and Ryan Gravenberch are among them. However, if any of these associated players come, further outgoings may be required.
Sadio Mane was a high-profile departure from Merseyside last season, opting for a move to Bayern Munich. There aren’t going to be any surprises when it comes to an Anfield exit, but those on the outskirts may be ushered on.
*The prices reflect market prices, not price tags.
Caoimhin Kelleher – £10 million
After establishing himself as Liverpool’s second-choice goalkeeper behind Alisson, the Republic of Ireland shotstopper has been limited to minutes in the League Cup and several FA Cup games in recent seasons. Despite his performance with the Reds during the 2021/22 season, his place in the national team is in jeopardy.
Southampton signed Gavin Bazunu from Manchester City last summer in search of goalkeeping stability, after the Irishman impressed on loan with Sheffield Wednesday. Regardless of how the Saints finished in the Premier League last season, he has pushed himself ahead of Kelleher.
The struggle for the number one shirt has forced manager Stephen Kenny to speak out, asking the Reds’ keeper to look beyond L4 after being relegated to only four games in all competitions for Liverpool.
The aforementioned’ £10 million is only his market value, according to transfermarkt.co.uk, although he is garnering interest from Premier League clubs. Brentford, in particular, is preparing for life without Spanish goalkeeper David Raya.
He has been vocal about his ambition to win trophies, and it was widely assumed that he would join Tottenham Hotspur. While that trail appears to have gone cold, there are still reports circulating about Manchester United.
If Liverpool sells him, they will have to look for a dependable replacement for the Brazilian, who won the Player of the Season accolade.
Nat Phillips – £3 million
Nat Phillips has become a cult figure at Anfield after his defensive solidity helped the Reds overcome their injury problems. They, like his defensive counterpart, Rhys Williams, stepped up in crucial situations to help Jurgen Klopp overcome selection issues.
He appeared five times for the Reds in all competitions, but his future in L4 has remained uncertain. Phillips would not be pushed out of Liverpool after his contributions to the club, although he has attracted interest in recent months.
In January, Ibrahima Konate’s hamstring injury thwarted a prospective move for Phillips, who was being regarded as a cover option for Joel Matip and Joe Gomez when Virgil van Dijk was injured.
Turkish giants Galatasaray were apparently interested, and the defender has previously attracted interest from Premier League clubs. This summer, though, there has been little conjecture about his future.
Rhys Williams – £1.7 million
Williams was one of the defensive options that helped Liverpool get over the finish line during the behind-closed-doors season. He, too, is a defender who has seen his playing time reduced due to his position in the pecking order.
He had considerable action during his loan term with Blackpool in the Championship, but he was returned in January. The 22-year-old has three years left on his contract with the Reds, and reports near the end of the previous season claimed he was courting interest from the English second division.
According to reports, Liverpool is willing to accept an offer for the Preston-born defender. Like Phillips, there have been no firm reports of him leaving this summer, although he might follow in the footsteps of his Liverpool U21s teammate Leighton Clarkson, who has made his transfer to Aberdeen permanent.
Joel Matip – £10 million
Joel Matip’s free transfer from Schalke has proven to be one of the most shrewd pieces of business in Liverpool’s recent history. Since joining the Reds seven years ago, the Cameroonian defender has won every available trophy and made 187 appearances.
Liverpool and injury concerns have been common in recent years, with the 31-year-old suffering from his own. He was relegated to 17 Premier League games this season as he fell behind Ibrahima Konate in the pecking order.
The Reds require defensive options, but also a clean bill of health as often as possible – with that in mind, centre-back arrivals haven’t been completely ruled out, albeit midfield takes precedence.
Matip has a year left on his Anfield contract, but the Reds could lose the then-32-year-old on a free transfer next summer. This implies that the summer could be an ideal time to cash in on the centre-back.
Fabio Carvalho – £13 million
Fabio Carvalho had a rough debut season. He arrived with promise after joining from Fulham, and while the ceiling remains unbroken, he has faced worries about his future.
As Liverpool struggled for European qualifying after the World Cup, his game time became limited. Even before the season ended, Carvalho attracted interest from RB Leipzig, who had a bid rejected by Liverpool.
“I would like to make all of these decisions with the boys before we talk (publicly) about it,” Klopp stated at the end of April. “No decision has been made in any direction.”
“What I can say is that he was exceptional again this week in training.” He’s very exceptional. So, certainly, we’ll chat and then see what we’ll do – what he wants, what I think, but there’s no choice yet.”
The club does not want to let go of the 20-year-old midfielder, but the German head coach did mention that the midfielder, who was named to the Championship Team of the Season previous to joining the Reds, could depart on loan.
“I think there’s a chance Fabio goes on loan, but the thing is, this was not Fabio’s best year in his career, by any means, but it could have been his most important.”
“To be honest, no player has impressed me more than Fabio. This talented youngster came here with high goals and enormous expectations, and it didn’t work out – good in the beginning, but not in the end. But because he trained with nothing, his work ethic would lead to a tremendous career.”
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