The major transfer decisions Liverpool are still under pressure to make this summer

To say that Liverpool’s summer has taken a dramatic turn would be quite the understatement. Jurgen Klopp entered the transfer market with a clear mission to bring in new creative-minded players to bolster goal-scoring opportunities from the engine room and hopefully re-establish the Reds as feared title challengers.

The quick signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai made a huge statement that Liverpool meant business. They even let three senior players leave for free — James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Naby Keïta — as it was all part of the plan. But that plan has been forced down an emergency route after both Jordan Henderson and Fabinho bid their farewells to Anfield.

Saudi Arabia came knocking for the only two remaining senior players who are comfortable operating in the No.6 role. Henderson has been reunited with former captain and teammate Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq, while Fabinho has made the move to Al-Ittihad.

With Thiago’s contract also expiring next summer, Klopp’s midfield is back to being a big problem area. There was always the intention to sign a third midfielder this window, just to be safe, but now it’s no longer a case of padding out the ranks. It’s more of a desperate scramble to bring in trusted players before Premier League rivals capitalise on a defensively weak midfield.

There’s still plenty of time for Liverpool to turn this all around, though. So with a month left for Klopp to get some business done, let’s take a look at the next steps he should probably take on the transfer market.

Sign

Of course, the most obvious shout here is for Liverpool to wrap up a deal for Roméo Lavia. The Reds have been linked to the 19-year-old for some time now and they are leading the race to land his signature. However, they are yet to shake the hands of those at Southampton as they haven’t quite met the asking price.

The latest update on this saga comes from Fabrizio Romano, who reports that Liverpool have placed a new offer of £42 million for Lavia. But it is expected to be ‘formally rejected soon’ as it is still short of what the Saints are asking for. It has also come to a point where the player himself has admitted he is ‘a little annoyed’ over how long it is taking for the two clubs to agree on a deal.

Trying to negotiate a lower fee is part and parcel of the transfer window but Liverpool are not in a position to potentially lose out on a key target because they played a little too much hard ball. After the sale of both Henderson and Fabinho, the Reds should just pay Southampton what they want and finally get Lavia in a red shirt. Plus, the longer they take to get this deal done, the more they are eating into time to get others over the threshold.

Once Lavia is confirmed though, there’s no real time for Liverpool to rest. Due to the midfield exodus, they’ll need another player who can slot into the No.6 role in case injury strikes and further limits their options.

Sell

A lot of players have already left Liverpool this window — six to be exact — which has left quite a dent in the midfield, as we know Reds fans are more than aware of. However there is a slight elephant in the room when it comes to Klopp’s defensive options. It may not be the biggest thing to consider right now but the fact Joël Matip has just one year left on his contract is perhaps something that needs some attention.

Matip has been a strong asset for Liverpool since he joined back in 2016 from Schalke but he has grown somewhat out of favour. Last season, out of Matip, Ibrahima Konaté and Joe Gomez, the Cameroonian made the least amount of appearances across all competitions.

Konaté is the newest addition of the three and Gomez has versatility on his side as he can play both centrally and at right-back, which could be beneficial if Klopp decides to experiment more with Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield. Unfortunately for Matip, this puts him rather low on the priority list and with Liverpool on the market for a new centre-back, he could fall further down the pecking order. If they don’t plan on extending his stay at Anfield, Liverpool should look to cash in now before they risk losing him for free in less than 12 months.

Loan

When Nat Phillips stepped up to the plate in the absence of Virgil van Dijk during the 2020/21 season, he impressed a lot of people with his solid performances. Of course, he had a big point to prove as he looked to earn himself a regular spot in the lineup once the Dutchman returned. This dream was not to be though, as Phillips has slipped quite drastically down the pecking order since then.

His time on the pitch for Liverpool has been very limited — he made just five senior appearances last season and spent the second half of the campaign prior on loan to Bournemouth. So it’s fair to say he’s clearly not heavily involved in any of Klopp’s plans moving forwards but he still has two years left on his contract. This summer is the perfect opportunity to send the defender back out on loan and raise his profile before securing a permanent move next year.

Phillips deserves a shot at regular first team football and after a quiet term on the sidelines, he needs the chance to get back out and get his name on clubs’ radars to facilitate the strongest possible move for his next career chapter.