Liverpool are expected to have one of their busiest ever summers amidst rumours that numerous stars could exit the club, Reds transfer expert David Lynch has claimed.
Boss Arne Slot has guided the Merseysiders to first place in the Premier League, and it would be remarkable if second-placed Arsenal beat them to the title considering they are 13 points behind the league leaders.
However, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are yet to sign contract extensions and will be free agents at the end of the season as things stand, and the Reds will undoubtedly have to find replacements for the trio.
Lynch expressed his belief that the club will be forced into investing significantly into the squad, telling Sports Mole: "Every summer when we come to this point, there's someone out there who will write or say that a big summer's coming for Liverpool and I always roll my eyes because the view of the recruitment staff has been that as little churn as possible is for the best.
"I would always be reluctant to say this, but I expect this one to be a big summer because a lot of churn is going to be forced upon them and there's a few positions where there's real candidates to go.
"You're looking at four or five bodies coming in and that's a lot of turnover and every time you make a transfer, [there's] a chance for it to go wrong - you [might have] misjudged how they'll fit in, whether they'll succeed in the Premier League - so the recruitment staff would love to avoid that if possible, but it's going to be forced upon them."
Liverpool attempted to sign Martin Zubimendi to play as the team's deepest midfielder this past summer, and it would not be surprising if the Reds wanted to make additions regardless of whether Van Dijk, Salah or Alexander-Arnold leave Anfield.
Who else could leave the club
Alongside the stars out of contract there is significant uncertainty regarding several other players, including the likes of Darwin Nunez, who has frequently been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League.
There are also question marks about defender Joe Gomez, who was rumoured to be of interest to Newcastle United in the summer of 2023-24, and it would not be surprising if the Englishman sought a move away from Anfield in order to secure regular playing time.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch outlined why Reds fans should brace themselves for numerous departures, saying: "Joe Gomez will want to go and play football more regularly, Darwin Nunez looks nailed on to go - that's Saudi interest that we're going to see come back so he will need to be replaced.
"In central midfield, you have the conversation with Wataru 'are you happy playing this much football?' Harvey Elliott is a really interesting one - again he's a boyhood Liverpool fan [and] will want to stay and fight for another year, but it's a conversation to be had. Even if just one of those goes then you're opening up a spot for another midfielder that the manager fully trusts.
"[Liverpool] hope there's going to be the squad in place to absorb a period of adaptation for those they sign in the summer. [Signings will be made] to replace Gomez, to replace Endo, to replace Darwin Nunez - none of those players are going to have to be in the starting XI on the first day of the season. They can have time to ease in. The only area you would have to change is right-back but Connor Bradley could start the season."
Slot has only shown faith in a small group of players to start consistently - 10 members of the squad have started at least 20 of Liverpool's 29 Premier League games - and that has meant numerous stars have had limited time on the pitch this campaign.
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Left-back is a priority area
Though Liverpool are first in the Premier League, in the EFL Cup final and one of the favourites for the Champions League, there have been concerns regarding left-backs Andrew Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas.
Neither defender has managed to impress under Slot so far, with Robertson's defensive level having noticeably declined in 2024-25.
Liverpool have been linked with a move for Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall in recent weeks, but Lynch was sceptical about the validity of the rumours, and claimed that other left-backs were more likely to be of interest to the Reds.
Lynch told Sports Mole: "My understanding [is that Liverpool are] monitoring Milos Kerkez and Jorrel Hato. Whether they make moves for either is still yet to be decided and we'll see what that looks like come the summer, but I expect 100% that left-back will be strengthened. There's no question about that, and that would probably necessitate a Kostas Tsimikas departure.
"Lewis Hall, I'm a little sceptical about those links. He's only just joined Newcastle, he's a boyhood Newcastle fan, they're doing quite well at the moment. It'd be very difficult to get him out and quite hard to understand why he would quickly jump ship.
"He's a fantastic player, no question about that, and I'm sure if Liverpool could get someone like that they would absolutely love to, but I find it hard to imagine him getting out of Newcastle as their PSR concerns have eased, and I'm sure he would want to stay for a bit longer with it being the club he supports."
It is difficult to see Liverpool signing a left-back without a departure first, and given Robertson's considerable contributions to the club, Tsimikas may have to make way for an arrival in the summer.
Lewis Nolan
