And with that, Darwin Nunez is gone. Liverpool have taken the riches of Saudi and could now look to force through a move for Alexander Isak.
The Reds have spent a colossal amount already this summer, that is no secret. Florian Wirtz arrived in a British record £116m deal from Bayer Leverkusen and Hugo Ekitike has also arrived for over £70m.
Yet, Isak, valued at £150m by Newcastle United, would be their biggest move yet. It’s just a pity for their sake that the Toon have no desire to sell their prized asset between now and September 1st.
Still, Isak isn’t the only priority target for the remaining weeks of the summer window.
Liverpool's priority targets
A move for Isak would be simply lovely, of course it would be, but despite the sale of Nunez – who departed for £46m – it would take something special for Newcastle to be convinced to sell.
The same feeling is felt when assessing the Bradley Barcola situation at PSG. Liverpool admire the winger (who doesn’t?), and could make their move after Luis Diaz headed for Bayern Munich.
However, the French sensation isn’t planning to force through a move as Isak has, and PSG are in no hurry to sell one of their key players.
One might argue that Liverpool look fine in forward areas, but at the back they need options. Marc Guehi could be that.
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This saga has been rumbling on for most of the summer now, so much so that over a month ago it was reported that the Crystal Palace centre-back was close to agreeing personal terms with the Anfield side.
Since then, things have gone quiet but the England international remains on Liverpool’s radar.
A new report from the Daily Mail this weekend suggests that Liverpool are due to hold further talks with Palace over signing Guehi after Sunday’s Community Shield.
The defender is in the last year of his deal at Selhurst Park and a year on from when the Eagles rejected a £65m bid from Newcastle, he could now be on the move for a fee of £45m.
Hear us out, Guehi is more important than Isak
Isak would be an almighty statement, don’t get us wrong. This is a player who Jamie Carragher described as “the best striker in the Premier League” and scored 27 goals in all competitions throughout 2024/25.
In the Premier League last term, only a certain Mo Salah found the net more regularly.
Yet, the sensational Swede isn’t the be-all and end-all as far as Arne Slot’s title hopes are concerned. Why? Well, Liverpool have already signed Ekitike – a player boasting immense potential – and they have Cody Gakpo who can play up top.
Of course, looking at Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, the Reds could do with a talismanic focal point but let’s not forget the aforementioned Salah. He’s still around and he’s ready to have a big season in front of goal again.
As for Barcola, we can make a similar argument here. Liverpool may require another wide option after Diaz left Merseyside behind but they do have options. Once again, both Ekitike and Gakpo could play in that role.
But, in defence, Liverpool look rather barren. Out wide they have strengthened significantly with Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong bolstering the full-back areas but with Joe Gomez injured, Jarrel Quansah having left and Ibou Konate potentially off to Real Madrid, things do look sparse in central defence.
Indeed, throughout pre-season so far, we’ve seen Wataru Endo, Trey Nyoni and Ryan Gravenberch all start games as a centre-half.
For a team harbouring ambitions of retaining their Premier League title, this isn’t okay. After all, let’s look at Arsenal. While they’ve had problems building a cohesive attack, their defensive depth is remarkable.
At right-back they have Ben White and Jurrien Timber, at left-back they have Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly. In the middle William Saliba, Gabriel, Cristhian Mosquera and Jakub Kiwior make up a fantastic quartet.
At Anfield, they can only dream of such defensive luxuries. However, with the arrival of Guehi, it would suitably strengthen what looks like Liverpool’s biggest weakness heading into the new season.
Isak and Barcola would be captivating additions but the Palace captain is a ready-made option who would immediately strengthen the backline at Slot’s disposal.
Passes completed
43.2
63.9
Pass accuracy %
84.15%
91.53%
Long pass accuracy %
46.75%
43.85%
Tackles made
1.8
2.3
Take-ons completed
0.4
0.2
Duels won
5
3.9
Ball recoveries
4.3
3.6
Already described as “England’s player” during the last European Championships by analyst Ben Mattinson, Guehi is most notably an excellent reader of the play, ranking inside the best 4% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for passes blocked with 0.96 per 90 minutes.
Guehi is also brilliant and bringing the ball out from the back. Only 20% of positionally similar players in the continent’s best divisions have registered more successful take-ons over the last year. Is it really any surprise that reporter Bobby Manzi suggested he is a “monster in defence”?
At the age of 25, he’s also approaching his prime and it feels like he’s got the best years of his career ahead of him.
So, while Isak and Barcola would be statement additions that send shockwaves through the rest of the Premier League, Guehi must be the priority. Liverpool’s backline looks incomplete but the Crystal Palace stalwart would complete the jigsaw.
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