The dust has settled on Liverpool's Champions League final defeat and Jurgen Klopp and his side will be heading for their holidays after shaking off any despair at the wild open top trophy parade on Sunday.
But the Reds still have the lingering issue of Sadio Mane's future which remains unresolved, with the Senegalese forward yet to confirm his plans for next season. Reports claim Mane told teammates in the immediate aftermath of the loss to Real Madrid that he would be heading elsewhere this summer.
Bayern Munich are the frontrunners to land his signature, while Klopp now faces a difficult task of potentially replacing one of the world's best in the coming months. Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard feels, however, that it is another area that the Reds are lacking in.
Here are the latest Liverpool transfer updates.
Reds hold Mane advantage
Liverpool will stand firm on Sadio Mane after it emerged that Bayern Munich are preparing a bid for the winger.
While Mane could leave Liverpool for free when his contract expires next year, Klopp will not be keen to let him go on the cheap this summer. It is thought the Reds will demand much more than the £30m being touted amid the links with Bayern.
And an executive for the German club may have made their negotiations harder after his stance on Robert Lewandowski earlier this year. The Polish striker is also out of contract next summer, but Bayern were in no mood to let him go at a cut-price, giving Liverpool plenty of leverage in any impending transfer talks.
Bayern’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic was asked if he would consider selling the Poland captain for his reported asking price of £45m, he replied: “No. He has a contract until 2023. We have all the time in the world. We have the best striker in the world and we’re proud of that.”
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Gerrard identifies next signing
Who should Liverpool sign this summer? Have your say in the comments below.
Despite Klopp facing potential problems in his attack, ex-Reds captain Gerrard believes it is midfield where his old club need to strengthen this summer.
"Jordan [Henderson] and James Milner are not getting any younger," Gerrard told BT Sport after the game. "They’re still top players at this level, of course, and they’ll want to go on and do more.
"But for Liverpool, if you think about the next five, six, seven years, they’re going to need a midfielder, an eight, who can get goals, who can get double figures. They are heavily reliant on the front three [Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz] – or the front five if you include Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino. But you always need one of those midfielders that’s going to get in the box and get you goals."
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Liverpool eye £30m cash boost
Klopp could boost his summer transfer kitty by offloading two fringe men to the tune of £30m in the coming weeks.
Both Nat Phillips and Neco Williams have struggled to force their way into regular first team contention and have spent the last six months impressing out on loan.
Williams helped Fulham to win the Championship while Phillips played a key role in Bournemouth sealing automatic promotion behind them. Now both players are wanted by their respective loan clubs for their return to the top flight.
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