Richard Hughes' priority clear with talks underway ahead of summer | OneFootball

Richard Hughes’ has had plenty of work to do since his arrival at Liverpool in 2024.

The sporting director’s first season saw him having to deal with three of the biggest contract sagas in the history of the club, resulting in record deals for Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, and Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving the club.

In his second summer transfer window Hughes oversaw a £400 million rebuild of Arne Slot’s Premier League winning squad.

Now, owing partly to a disappointing campaign on the pitch, many have turned their attention to what Hughes will do this coming summer, and a new report has revealed his priority for the coming weeks.

Hughes hard at work before summer window

The Reds’ have several players who are into the final months of their contracts, but all the attention in recent days has been on a player whose current deal runs until 2028.

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That player is of course Dominik Szoboszlai, who has been extensively linked with a switch to Real Madrid recently.

Despite rumours of a move to Los Blancos, Szoboszlai himself has confirmed contract talks are underway with Liverpool, and a report from TEAMtalk has confirmed that the Reds have no intention of letting their iconic no.8 go.

According to the report, the club have no plans to sell Szoboszlai this summer and talks over a new deal on improved terms are progressing.

Szoboszlai’s starring role this season

Although the Reds have almost certainly failed to defend their Premier League title, there have been some positives this season.

Szoboszlai establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in Europe, and a contender for Premier League player of the season, is definitely one of them.

The Hungarian has scored 10 goals, including two outrageous freekicks against Arsenal and Manchester City, and has also provided seven assists in all competitions.

His standout performances are why, according to TEAMtalk, the club are willing to meet all of the player’s demands in order to tie him down to an extended deal and fight off interest from Real Madrid.

Hughes’ job is obviously to try and bring the best talent possible to Anfield, but he is also responsible for keeping the Reds’ best players at the club and his priority between now and the summer must be a new contract for Szoboszlai.