Liverpool look all set to complete the signing of Alisson this summer in a world-record breaking deal which would take their total expenditure for the summer beyond the £150 million mark, but they are reportedly set to balance the books somewhat with the sale of Danny Ward.
According to a recent report from talkSPORT, Leicester have agreed a £12 million fee with Liverpool over the signing of Danny Ward, despite the fact he is the club’s third-choice goalkeeper.
The deal arrives as a huge surprise considering Ward has played just 3 first-team appearances for the club since 20212.
Where the Foxes have managed to pluck that figure from is up for debate, but the Reds certainly won’t be complaining about the magnitude of the price.
In a summer when Liverpool have already spent over £100 million on new talent, the signing of Alisson is likely to be their final foray into the transfer market, unless they can accumulate funds from the sale of current players of course.
And that’s exactly what Klopp should consider doing this summer, as there are a handful of players residing within his squad who would command significant transfer fees.
Even if Klopp is insistent on keeping all of his players at the club, Liverpool’s owners may well take matters into their own hands and sanction a handful of sales in order to ease the financial burden of their mega-money signings.
With that in mind, here are three Liverpool players who could follow Ward out of the Anfield exit door this summer…
Georginio Wijnaldum has struggled to win the supporters over throughout his career at Liverpool with inconsistency and a lack of end-product widely cited as his core weaknesses.
The arrival of Naby Keita and Fabinho in midfield are likely to intensify competition for places in the first-team next season even with Emre Can’s departure and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury to consider.
Klopp will certainly not be in any hurry to sell Wijnaldum this summer, but if an offer is forthcoming that would allow Liverpool to recoup a decent chunk of the £24.75 million they paid for him in 2016, the club will need to give it serious consideration.
Nathaniel Clyne is another player who certainly has plenty to offer the club but may find himself on the fringes of the first-team next season.
The rise of both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez last season pushed Clyne down the pecking order whilst he was sidelined through injury, and it’s fair to say he will struggle to win his place back next season.
Clyne will certainly believe he is capable of impressing Klopp and working his way back into the first-team, but if an offer comes along from another Premier League club who are willing to guarantee first-team football, his head could well be turned before the new season.
With Roberto Firimino firmly established as Liverpool’s first-choice striker, Solanke will certainly be tempted by a transfer away from Anfield this summer if first-team football is on offer.
The return of Danny Ings could push Solanke down the pecking order to Liverpool’s third-choice striker, which certainly won’t do his development any favours.
The 20-year-old is stacked with potential to grow into a prolific striker in the future, but without access to first-team football he will struggle to improve his composure in-front of goal.
Liverpool are unlikely to be keen on the idea of selling this summer, but after spending huge sums of money on Alisson, Fabinho and Keita they could be tempted to offload Solanke for financial reasons.
