Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah may be set to stay at Liverpool, but it could still be a summer of significant change on Merseyside.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s impending departure as a free agent will see the club lose a significant asset for nothing, while a number of other players who have been in and around Arne Slot‘s first-team squad this season could also be on their way out.
The Reds’ head coach has relied on a relatively small group of players throughout this season, and that could be down to the fact he does not trust a lot of the players who were at the club when he arrived last summer.
After all, Slot has made just one outfield signing since arriving at Anfield, the Italian winger Federico Chiesa, and he will no doubt want to put his own imprint on the squad ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
That could mean a few players are heading into their final few weeks at Liverpool, one of which could actually be Chiesa, who has not started a single Premier League game all season. The Italian’s only Champions League start came in a dead rubber against PSV Eindhoven, with his only other two starts coming in the FA Cup and the League Cup.
Chiesa has looked bright at times this season, not least when he emerged and scored in the Carabao Cup final, but his Liverpool future appears bleak.
Two more players who are yet to start a Premier League game this season, Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott, could also be on their way. Endo is more likely to leave considering his age and the fact he does not fit the profile of player that Slot clearly likes, but Elliott too will not be pleased with how little game time he has had this season, particularly when he has impressed off the bench on several occasions.
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Caoimhin Kelleher, meanwhile, has played more frequently than a second-choice goalkeeper would expect to but he clearly has the quality to be a first-choice stopper for a top team, and has made no secret of his desire to leave to pursue that ambition.
Another certainty to leave seems to be Darwin Nunez, who has underwhelmed at Anfield since making a big-money move from Benfica in 2022. He has scored just 40 goals in 138 appearances, and Slot is understandably keen to sign a more dependable goalscorer.
Luis Diaz has been frequently linked with a move to Barcelona, and the Reds could potentially bank a decent fee for him, considering he still has two years left on his contract.
Liverpool is expected to sign a new left-back this summer, which could see Kostas Tsimikas depart, as any new left-back would likely be expected to compete with Andy Robertson for a spot in the team.
Finally, third and fourth-choice goalkeepers Vitezslav Jaros and Harvey Davies are set to become free agents at the end of the season, so could both leave for free. Youngsters Tyler Morton and Ben Doak could also leave permanently.
Other players who have been linked with exits are Joe Gomez and Diogo Jota, but there is unlikely to be a market for Gomez, considering he will be coming off the back of hamstring surgery, while Jota could be kept around as a backup option to whichever new striker the club signs.
Players we think could leave Liverpool this summer
- Caoimhin Kelleher
- Vitezslav Jaros
- Harvey Davies
- Trent Alexander-Arnold
- Kostas Tsimikas
- Wataru Endo
- Tyler Morton
- Harvey Elliott
- Luis Diaz
- Ben Doak
- Darwin Nunez
