Journalist reveals the truth about Liverpool’s transfer delays | OneFootball

Liverpool Transfer Plans Take Shape After Salah Exit

Wide Attackers Lead Summer Agenda

Liverpool’s summer now has a clarity that feels both useful and daunting. According to The Athletic, the club’s priority is signing wide attackers, with Mohamed Salah gone, Federico Chiesa’s future uncertain and Hugo Ekitike recovering from a ruptured Achilles.

That is not squad tweaking. That is reconstruction.

RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomande has emerged as a leading name, with The Athletic reporting Liverpool made contact on June 4. His World Cup display in Ivory Coast’s 1-0 win over Ecuador only sharpened the sense of a player arriving at the edge of something significant.

Leipzig, naturally, know exactly what they have. The report indicates it would take more than €130million, around £112.3m, to persuade them to sell. Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola is also admired, which tells its own story. Liverpool are not shopping for depth. They are looking for a new attacking identity.

Photo: IMAGO

Salah Era Finally Closes

The most definitive line in the report concerns Salah. Could Liverpool reverse course after Arne Slot’s exit and Andoni Iraola’s appointment?

“No chance.”

That phrase carries weight. Salah received the Anfield farewell his service merited after nearly nine extraordinary years, and all parties felt the moment had come. His departure was not an accident of circumstance. It followed talks initiated by the player, which led Liverpool to effectively rip up the final year of his contract in March.

Now, the club must live in the space he leaves behind.

Iraola Factor Shapes Timing

Liverpool’s business may not arrive quickly. The World Cup complicates movement, while Iraola wants time to assess the squad he has inherited during pre-season.

That means supporters may need patience, even as the scale of change demands urgency. Centre midfield and right-back also require attention, while Darwin Nunez is not expected to return despite reports in South America suggesting otherwise. Senior Liverpool sources insist that is not happening.

Departures Add To Rebuild

Carter Pinnington’s move to West Brom is one of those academy exits that rarely defines a summer, but often explains how clubs operate. There is no upfront fee, but Liverpool have protected themselves through add-ons and a sell-on clause.

Elsewhere, Salah, Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate and Rhys Williams have all left as free agents. Curtis Jones, valued at around £35m, has interest from Inter. Chiesa will speak to Iraola before deciding his future, while Luca Stephenson remains in talks over a permanent move, with Bolton Wanderers leading the chase.

Liverpool’s summer, then, is not about replacing one player. It is about replacing certainty.

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From a Liverpool supporter’s perspective, this feels like the first proper summer of a new cycle. Losing Salah was always going to hurt, not just because of the goals, but because of the certainty he gave the team. For years, Liverpool could play badly and still trust Salah to make sense of the chaos.

Diomande is exciting, but £112m is huge money. If Liverpool go anywhere near that level, they have to be absolutely sure he is not merely a World Cup riser, but a player who can handle Anfield, Premier League intensity and the burden of replacing an icon.

Barcola being admired also makes sense. Liverpool need pace, unpredictability and one-v-one threat. They also need more than one attacker, because relying on one big signing to fill the Salah void would be dangerous.

The Curtis Jones situation is interesting too. £35m for a homegrown midfielder with Premier League experience feels cheap regardless of contract, and losing him would further strip away continuity.

Iraola’s assessment period is understandable, but supporters will be anxious. Liverpool cannot drift through July and discover in August that the attack still lacks edge. This summer needs patience, yes, but it also needs conviction.