Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge is worried about what the Reds’ summer transfer window could look like after it emerged that Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to leave the club as a free agent.
Alexander-Arnold’s contract at Anfield is due to expire at the end of the season and the appeal of joining Real Madrid has seemingly proved too big to turn down.
Liverpool has faced criticism for allowing Alexander-Arnold’s contract to run down, something which has also happened with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, but the Alexander-Arnold situation is arguably worse considering his age (26) and resale value ($81 million, according to Transfermarkt).
The Reds have barely signed anybody over the previous two transfer windows, with Federico Chiesa the only addition to the squad that Jurgen Klopp left behind last summer.
That lack of activity coupled with the prospect of Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Van Dijk all leaving for free at the end of this season, could see Liverpool requiring a whole host of new players during the summer transfer window.
The Reds were already expected to be in the market for a new striker, amid Darwin Nunez’s expected departure, while a new left-back is also on the agenda as the club targets a long-term replacement for Andy Robertson, who turned 31 earlier this year and is enduring a difficult season.
Writing in his column for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge aired his concerns that Liverpool might end up leaving itself with too much to do during one transfer window ahead of the 2025-26 season.
(Image: 2025 Liverpool FC)
“Liverpool are looking like they will be leaving themselves with lots to do in the transfer market this summer,” Aldridge wrote. “The way things are at the moment, there’s going to be a lot of movement.
“If Trent goes, we still don’t know what’s going to happen with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk’s contracts. You don’t want too much change. I don’t like to see what Chelsea do each summer with six, seven or eight new players. You can’t do that.
“You keep tweaking it every year. But we’ve maybe overlooked it. Last year we didn’t bring anyone in, apart from Chiesa who hasn’t played. This summer, how many will there be? Four? It’s got to be at least four. But if two or three of the players out of contract go, that becomes more. If any other big players go, it becomes more.
“We currently need a couple of players but could end up needing another five players coming in. It would have to be, and then it’s a big ask to gel five players into the squad.”
