Liverpool’s recent practice of boosting the bank account through sales has been a crucial component of their transfer negotiations.
The Reds have been able to dramatically increase the pot by releasing players who were frequently on the outside of Jurgen Klopp’s first team over the past five years, from Neco Williams to the likes of Jordon Ibe, Rhian Brewster, and Dominic Solanke.
Players like Harry Wilson (£12m), Marko Grujic (£10m) and Danny Ward (£12m) have all been deemed surplus to requirements during Klopp’s time before bringing in relatively sizable sums.
Since the summer of 2019, in fact, when Liverpool moved into the summer months as champions of Europe, the club have been able to bank a total of around £85m for those whose first-team opportunities were always going to be limited. A further £98m has been earned through departures of more established stars like Sadio Mane, Xherdan Shaqiri, Dejan Lovren, Simon Mignolet, Danny Ings and Takumi Minamino.
Such a way of operating is a crucial revenue source when it comes to player trading for a club whose terms and circumstances are so closely constrained by the self-sustainable model imposed, properly or not, by owners Fenway Sports Group.
In fact, Liverpool has been so skilled at negotiating fair terms for those free agents that former sporting director Michael Edwards is rumored to have had a Premier League counterpart bow down to him in amusement for carrying out one particular deal.
Key personnel in the recruitment division may quickly scan the roster now that the summer transfer window for 2023 is open and conclude that there are less sellable assets this time around.
And with the Reds set to be without the bounty that accompanies qualification to the Champions League this coming campaign, that could have an impact, even if it is an issue that should not be used as mitigation for holding back on what is a much-needed rebuild.
Perhaps the most notable asset Liverpool have in this area in 2023 is goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who is almost certain to be of interest to a whole host of clubs this summer. With speculation over David Raya’s future at Brentford, the Reds goalkeeper has been linked with a switch to west London.
The technical director of Brentford, Lee Dykes, sparked curiosity about those connections earlier this week when he said: “Kelleher is a terrific goalkeeper. That is beyond question. He excels as a goalkeeper. He has certainly not played a lot of games and has somewhat remained in Liverpool’s background.
Although Klopp stated last month that it would take something “extraordinary” for the club to negotiate with Kelleher, Liverpool would undoubtedly not stand in Kelleher’s way at the age of 24 if the Ireland international desired a change of scenery in the near future.
A sale, though, would theoretically leave the Reds in need of a back-up goalkeeper, although the presence of veteran shot-stopper Adrian, who is on the cusp of signing a contract extension, at least eases that problem somewhat.
Fabio Carvalho is surely the most intriguing of the potential outgoings this summer. Liverpool are adamant they won’t countenance a full sale for the former Fulham youngster but have accepted that a loan spell would be productive to his long-term career.
Carvalho, who joined from Fulham in a deal worth a potential £7m last summer, started just one game after Christmas last term, against Wolves in the FA Cup, and was restricted to one substitute appearance for the final two months of the season. Liverpool have been contacted by a number of potential suitors from both home and abroad for Carvalho and reportedly rejected advances from RB Leipzig last month.
While Liverpool are privately adamant that Carvalho won’t be sold, in a summer where fewer and fewer members of the squad can fetch the sorts of sums like those who have moved on in recent years, it will be interesting to see if the Reds’ resolve is tested by a large offer.
Since Nat Phillips has been accepting offers on and off for a while, it is anticipated that there will be increased interest in him. Watford made a £7 million offer for the defender in January, but the Reds turned it down. Now 26 years old and having played just twice in the Premier League last season, Phillips is unquestionably entering his final season with the club.
Following David Woodfine’s departure at the end of the season, Matt Newberry is now in charge of the club’s loan deals in addition to his official responsibilities as head of academy recruitment. He has already given his approval for Harvey Davies’ short-term move to Crewe Alexandra, where he will join Calvin Ramsay, who this week agreed to a loan to Preston North End.
Leighton Clarkson, meanwhile, formally completed his move to Aberdeen on Thursday after a successful loan switch last term.
Thiago Alcantara is entering the final year of his deal with the Reds but it would be a major shock if the club were ready to offload the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich midfielder. The 32-year-old has been blighted by injuries during his three years on Merseyside but he remains a player of rare gifts and will be more valuable to Klopp for the last year of his contract than he would be if he was to be sold.
Expect Thiago to join the now lengthy list of high-profile players under Klopp to leave as a free agent. Before then, though, the No.6 will be no less important for the coming campaign, despite the expected midfield overhaul.
Conor Bradley and Tyler Morton, who were with Bolton and Blackburn, respectively, last season, will be given a chance to shine during preseason, but Sepp van den Berg, who spent last season with Schalke in the Bundesliga, may find himself the subject of another loan deal.
In contrast to recent campaigns, when rumors about players like Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, and Gini Wijnaldum flared, Liverpool at least enters this window knowing there is minimal doubt about important first-team players. But it’s unclear how much money they can actually generate to help with any additional incomings.