Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has been speaking ahead of his side taking on Newcastle United on Sunday. Three of his players are set to miss out through injury
When Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund took control of four of its nation’s clubs, we wondered what impact this seismic development would have on big European clubs like Liverpool.
The repercussions, as it turns out, have been huge. The Reds’ transfer window was plunged into upheaval in July when Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were subject to huge offers from the Pro League, dramatically changing the landscape in the club’s midfield rebuild.
All of a sudden, Jürgen Klopp needed a new starting number six, and potentially a new number eight to replace Jordan Henderson. The efforts to replace both players have been messy, to say the least.
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And now, rather than the push for further incomings, the uncertainty surrounding the future of Mohamed Salah may define the end of the window. The Athletic’s David Ornstein was among those to report that Al-Ittihad, having already signed Fabinho, now intends to pursue Salah in the time that remains.
Klopp insisted in his press conference on Friday that the Egyptian is not for sale, but Liverpool fans will be sweating until the deadline regardless. That story is not going away in the near future.
Here is the Liverpool.com verdict on the transfer gossip to emerge around the Reds today.
Federico Chiesa (Juventus)
Juventus forward Federico Chiesa features on Liverpool’s three-player shortlist of possible Mohamed Salah replacements, according to Italian outlet Calciomercato.
The report claims that Salah is ‘one step away’ from joining Al-Ittihad (though he definitely isn’t), forcing the Reds to enter the market for another winger.
Chiesa is seen as the top target at the moment, having been ‘followed in the past’, and it’s thought that $65m (£51m/€60m) will be enough to get him out of Juventus.
The Bianconeri now ‘fears an assault’ from the Reds in the final days of the transfer window. The two other options at present are apparently Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sané, formerly of Manchester City, and Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi
Liverpool.com says: If Salah was to leave, then Chiesa would represent a somewhat risky choice. He established himself as one of the top talents in his position in 2021, when he won the European Championships with Italy and made the Serie A team of the year, but since then, he’s suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The 25-year-old only started six league matches last year, and while he began the current campaign strongly with a goal in a 3-0 victory over Udinese last weekend, Liverpool would ideally wait a little longer to see if he can return to top form after such a severe injury. In the scenario played out in the report, it may not have the luxury of time, but it seems next to impossible that Salah would go.
Ryan Gravenberch (Bayern Munich)
Liverpool is ‘at the front’ of the queue to sign $33m (£26m/€30m)-rated Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich, ahead of Manchester United.
That’s according to Bild journalist Christian Falk, writing for Caught Offside. Gravenberch is ‘very interested’ in making the move to England and is ‘open’ to joining either Liverpool or the Old Trafford side.
However, Klopp may boast greater pulling power than Erik ten Hag, and so a transfer could happen ‘really fast’ if Liverpool makes a ‘concrete’ approach.
Liverpool.com says: While the opportunity to work with Klopp is doubtless a big draw, Gravenberch may have concerns about game time at Anfield. Primarily a number eight, he’d be competing with new signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for minutes, not to mention Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott.
Manchester United has signed Mason Mount this summer, so he won’t necessarily walk into the team at Old Trafford either, particularly with Christian Eriksen among Ten Hag’s options too. The 21-year-old will have to think long and hard about his destination if he gets the green light to go.