Liverpool have two main transfer priorities heading into the summer window, despite David Ornstein reporting that the club will adopt a cautious, “patient” strategy. Fabrizio Romano, however, has confirmed that their fifth signing is already over the line.
The Premier League champions have moved swiftly to bolster their title-winning squad. After a full year of assessing his players, manager Arne Slot is starting to put his own stamp on the team, having already secured four new arrivals.
Milos Kerkez looks set to be next, joining Giorgi Mamardashvili, Jeremie Frimpong, Armin Pecsi, and Florian Wirtz at Anfield. Romano says Kerkez has completed his medical and that a £40m agreement with Bournemouth is in place. The club is expected to officially announce the 21-year-old left-back very soon.
That said, instead of rushing into further deals, Ornstein reports that Liverpool will take a measured, strategic approach for their next two additions — focusing on offloading players first. Up to 11 departures could happen before the window closes, with one significant sale already agreed.
Although Arne Slot is keen to add a center-back, Ornstein suggests the top priority will be bringing in a forward. Liverpool admire talents like Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, but there’s no active pursuit just yet.
With early business already completed — including Frimpong, Wirtz, and the impending arrival of Kerkez — Liverpool will wait to see how the market develops. Whether they’ll look for a direct successor to Darwin Núñez, who has struggled for minutes, is still unclear. Wirtz’s arrival already gives Slot more attacking flexibility.
Beyond signing a forward, the Reds also want to bolster their defense. Marc Guehi is high on their list, especially with Crystal Palace willing to sell if they receive an offer north of £50m. Palace, for their part, have been monitoring Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande as a potential replacement.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have held talks with Napoli about a swap-plus-cash deal for striker Victor Osimhen — putting two players on the table as part of the deal.
Elsewhere, there are question marks around Ibrahima Konaté after a contract offer left him feeling “disappointed,” making a summer exit a possibility. Harvey Elliott could also depart after attracting a £40m bid from a Premier League club as he looks for more game time.
Finally, Liverpool showed interest in Kevin De Bruyne before he decided on a move to Napoli, according to a well-placed source at the Eti
