Liverpool to brutally offload ‘five to six’ regulars with ‘best player of last decade’ first out – Journalist | OneFootball

Liverpool are preparing for what has been described as a major rebuilding programme of their squad this summer, which will see up to six first-team regulars depart in what is now seen as an ‘urgent’ redevelopment of their playing resources by FSG after an underwhelming campaign.

The Reds went into the current campaign as reigning Premier League champions and with expectations sky high of defending their crown and challenging on multiple other fronts after a landmark £440m (€505m, $600m) transfer splurge last summer. However, instead of battling at the top end of the table, Liverpool have dropped well short of expectations and now face a battle just to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Now a distant 21 points adrift of table-topping Arsenal and with their hopes of defending their crown long since over, the Reds’ only hopes of winning silverware comes in the FA Cup and Champions League, though two of the toughest quarter-final draws await if they are to progress in both competitions.

As a result, FSG know they need something of a serious transfer overhaul once again, which is now seen by club overlords, FSG, which is shaped more by ‘a necessity’, rather than ‘an ambition’ as perhaps it was last summer.

To that end, the Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele has branded the upcoming 2026 summer window as “the summer of uncertainty”, and having named the four to five Liverpool first-team regulars he believes will face being sold this summer.

The exodus could well begin with Mohamed Salah, whom Steele has explained remains far from happy and will decide whether to quit Anfield or not, in the next six weeks.

But as Steele calls him, the Premier League’s “best player of the last decade” won’t be the only high-profile star moving on, with the journalist also revealing the names of several other stars he expects to be shipped out in the coming months…

Liverpool prepare to offload five to six regulars

Alongside Salah, Steele says Liverpool will decide whether to offload Andy Robertson, a pillar of consistency for the Reds down the years but a player whose better days are now behind him.

As a free agent, Liverpool must decide whether to offer him a new deal or let the Scot walk away as a free agent, though with the left-back open to a fresh challenge and with reports outlining the six teams scampering for his services, a departure looks the most likely.

Similarly, another defensive regular, Ibrahima Konate looks like he is heading for the exit door, with an agreement on a new deal yet to be signed and with the Frenchman handed an Easter deadline by the Reds to make a firm decision.

With regards to Konate, a new update on Thursday has revealed why a move to Real Madrid is now looking increasingly likely.

More broadly speaking, Steele admits that the fact that Virgil van Dijk will turn 35 this summer and that Alisson Becker will also surely leave in 2027 adds uncertainty to the shape and look of their defensive line over the next 18 months.

In more offensive roles, Steele also expects Liverpool to listen to offers for little-used Italian winger Federico Chiesa, who has failed to catch Slot’s eye during a disappointing two-year stint on Merseyside. A return to Serie A now beckons for the Euro 2020 winner and with his exit described as ‘almost certain’.

Elsewhere, and with a season left on his deal, Liverpool will also ponder the sale of midfielder Curtis Jones, who, despite being a favourite of Slot’s, is seen as an opportunity to cash in on and with his value still high.

Both Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan have been linked with the Scouser.

Steele also makes a case for Joe Gomez to depart too, though much could depend on Konate, but with the admission that the once very trusted defender has “not played as often as he would like”.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are reported to have listed an elite Bundesliga manager as a genuine option to succeed Slot, should the Reds decide to sack the Dutchman, who has been set two targets to spare himself from the Anfield axe.

Of course, Xabi Alonso remains the outstanding choice and overwhelming favourite to become the next Liverpool boss and a report earlier this week claimed he has made clear his first three transfer demands to Liverpool bosses, with three world-class signings worth a combined £245m on his Anfield wishlist.

Elsewhere, sources can reveal that Liverpool and Manchester United are ramping up their interest in a 25-year-old Wolves star who has been in excellent form of late, teeing up a transfer battle in the summer, and with historic quotes from the player potentially hinting at where he would like to move next.