It has long been expected that Liverpool would not be bolstering their midfield this summer, but another departure within their ranks could now change that.
Youngster Tyler Morton impressed at stages last term putting in solid displays both in the Premier League and in Europe, but is now all set to leave the Reds on loan. Jurgen Klopp is clearly keen on providing the talent of tomorrow with sufficient experience next season - 11 young academy or fringe players, including Morton, are leaving Liverpool on a temporary basis.
Morton made nine first-team appearances last term and it was widely viewed that with no midfielder coming in, the 19-year-old would kick on and become a more integral part of the first-team fold. Instead, it looks as if he'll be plying his trade with Championship side Blackburn Rovers.
According to The Times, Morton will follow in the footsteps of fellow Reds youngster-turned-first-team star Harvey Elliot and spend a season at Ewood Park getting to grips with the rigours of senior football. In turn, there will be one less midfielder to call upon for Klopp - unless he dips into the transfer market again.
Liverpool know all too well about the impact of an injury crisis after their centre-back debacle of 2020/21, so sanctioning Morton's loan departure guarantees one less body to call upon should more senior players pick up knocks over the course of the campaign.
This vacancy has presented the chance for the rumour mill to spark back up once again, with Matheus Nunes the latest midfield name to be touted with an Anfield switch. The Sporting midfielder has attracted plenty of attention in recent months.
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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola even went as far to label the Portugal international as "one of the best players in the world". Any pursuit of the player from Liverpool would contradict claims made by Klopp earlier this month.
"How I said, if nobody wants to leave – and no player came to me with that request yet and I don’t expect it really, to be honest – there is no need for a new midfielder. We cannot just add on midfielders," the Reds boss insisted.
"We respect the contracts with our boys as well, that means as long as we signed them they get all our support – in training, between the sessions, during the games and between the games. That is the situation we have; really, you can count our midfielders."
Liverpool have been known to spring a surprise or two when it comes to their transfer dealings - who could forget the surprise move for Luis Diaz last January - but it does appear as if Klopp is firm in his stance that there will be no new midfielders this window.
