Liverpool prepare mass summer clearout with five first-team players available for transfer
The scale of what Liverpool are planning is hard to overstate. Salah confirmed in March that he would leave Anfield at the end of the season, and now reports from multiple outlets suggest that as many as five more first-team players could follow him out the door.
Gakpo and Mac Allister headline the list
Cody Gakpo signed a contract extension until 2030 only last August, which makes his inclusion on the transfer list the biggest surprise. But intermediaries are already looking for interested clubs, with the Dutch winger's form dipping this season. Mac Allister, meanwhile, has reportedly told the club he wants to join Real Madrid. His contract runs until 2028, so Liverpool would at least command a decent fee.
Joe Gomez's situation is more straightforward. His deal expires in 2027, making this summer the last chance to sell him for serious money. AC Milan and Bayern Munich have both been linked. Chiesa, who arrived from Juventus in August 2024, has barely featured under Slot and looks like a transfer that never worked out. Curtis Jones rounds off the five.
Slot's second-season struggles
A year ago, Slot was being hailed as one of the signings of the decade after guiding Liverpool to a Premier League title in his first season. The 2025-26 campaign has been a different story. Liverpool sit fifth, scrapping for Champions League qualification after losing 10 league games already. The team that looked so assured under Slot's system last year has lost its shape, and the 2-1 defeat at Brighton last week was just the latest in a string of underwhelming results.
FSG are backing Slot to turn things around, though Xabi Alonso has been strongly linked as a potential successor amid growing speculation. But patience will run thin if results do not improve, and the manager knows it.
The rebuild shopping list
Liverpool spent around 450 million pounds last summer on Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, among others. More spending is expected. Two wingers are the top priority, with RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande (valued at 100 million euros) and Bayern Munich's Michael Olise both on the shortlist. Bayern have said Olise is not for sale.
At the back, a four-man centre-back shortlist includes Micky van de Ven, Alessandro Bastoni, Nico Schlotterbeck and Murillo. Castello Lukeba from Leipzig is another defensive target at around 56-61 million pounds.
The Salah-sized hole in the squad is the one that worries supporters most. Replacing 200-plus goals and a decade of consistency is not something you solve with one signing, and Liverpool's first attempt at life without their Egyptian king is shaping up to be the defining challenge of the Slot era.
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