An underwhelming season at Anfield looks set to be compounded by Liverpool missing out on Champions League qualification for the first time in seven seasons.
But there promises to be plenty to look forward to in the summer transfer window as Jurgen Klopp is tasked with building his second, great dynasty on Merseyside.
The main bulk of the Reds' recruitment is expected to take place in midfield, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner all set to depart the club once their contracts expire at the end of June. And with Fabinho 30 in October, and captain Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara both already 32, another significant factor is decreasing the average age of the engine room.
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As reported by the ECHO on Wednesday, Liverpool are currently drawing up a list of potential midfield arrivals. They hold interest in Chelsea duo Connor Gallagher and Mason Mount, as well as Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister of Brighton & Hove Albion.
Mount is yet to agree a contract extension with Chelsea, the club he joined at the age of six, despite getting set to enter the final 12 months of his current deal. The Londoners are also reported to be under pressure to balance the books this summer after two transfer windows and nearly £600m of spending since a Todd Boehly-led consortium acquired the club in the summer of 2022.
The interest in Mount and Gallagher, although met with dismay by some fans, can be explained by the potential summer departures of Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Nat Phillips and Caoimhin Kelleher, who make up four of the Reds' seven homegrown players in their 2022/23 Premier League squad.
Reports linking Liverpool with a move for Mac Allister have surfaced in recent days with The Times' Paul Joyce claiming the World Cup winner is "high up" on the club's list of targets.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold expected to continue in his inverted full-back role beyond the summer, the 24-year-old could be situated alongside Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte at the base of the Reds' four-man, box midfield. As reported by the ECHO, the Uruguayan has been described as a "combat vehicle" by some sources. Too, he is reported to have a release clause of just €60 million.
Klopp's recent switch to a three-man defence while in possession has seen Andy Robertson slot in alongside Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk as a makeshift centre-half when Alexander-Arnold drives into midfield. However, long-term, Liverpool have been linked with a move for Ajax and Holland defender Jurrien Timber, who has recently hinted about a future playing in one of Europe's top-five leagues.
“A transfer is getting closer and closer, so to speak. There is a lot of concrete interest and I have made agreements with Ajax,” Timber told the Dutch outlet De Telegraaf. “Last year Ajax asked me to stay for at least one more season and to extend my contract. As a club boy, I did that with love and after the season we will review the situation.
“At the Dutch national team, I often talk to boys who play football abroad. I want to take that step someday. But when that is, you will eventually hear and it will happen in consultation with Ajax."
While Robertson's time is far from done at Anfield, with the defender having penned a new long-term contract less than two years ago, Timber could represent a long-term option to Klopp's Anfield rebuild.
Liverpool potential XI for August 2023: Alisson; Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Alexander-Arnold, Ugarte; Mac Allister, Mount; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz. Subs: Kelleher, Nunez, Elliott, Henderson, Timber, Fabinho, Jones, Bajcetic, Jota.
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