The tradition at Premier League champions Liverpool, under the stewardship of the Fenway Sports Group, has often been to expect a summer of substantial spending only to be left somewhat underwhelmed.

Fortunately, Liverpool’s recruitment staff are as effective as any on planet earth when it comes to securing bang for their buck.

While The Reds have either backed away from or missed out on some of their more expensive transfer targets in the FSG era, both Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot have constructed Premier League-winning squads out of largely £30 – £40 million players rather than £80 – £90 million mega-money acquisitions.

Yet, if reports are to be believed – and the Liverpool faithful have seen similar claims go unfulfilled in the past – FSG are ready to back Arne Slot with one of the biggest ‘warchests’ in the club’s history.

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Liverpool are ready to go big on both a leading centre-forward and a top-level left-back.

Jamie Carragher may get his wish, then, as the Anfield legend holds out for Milos Kerkez and Hugo Ekitike to join from AFC Bournemouth and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively.

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The Daily Mail’s Merseyside reporter Lewis Steele, providing an update on Liverpool’s summer plans just days after the title was secured for a second time, talks up suggestions that both Kerkez and Ekitike could end up on the red half of Merseyside.

Steele also indicates that Kerkez’s Bournemouth teammates Antoine Semenyo and Dean Huijsen may become much bigger stories as the weeks go by, the curtain falls on The Cherries’ European charge.

Liverpool opened talks with Huijsen’s camp around a month ago.

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Three players very unlikely to arrive, however, are Matheus Cunha, Liam Delap and Jeremie Frimpong.

Cunha is well down the line in discussions with Manchester United, Delap appears to be in Chelsea’s crosshairs, while Liverpool may look to promote Conor Bradley in-house rather than trigger Frimpong’s £34 million release clause at Bayer Leverkusen.



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“At striker, it is obvious why they want one,” Steele says amid claims that Darwin Nunez could leave Liverpool for Saudi Arabia.

“As we have reported in the past, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike is one to watch.

I would rule out Matheus Cunha and Liam Delap.

Delap is available for just £30 million after Ipswich Town’s relegation, though Liverpool appear to prefer the velvety silk of Ekitike to the former Man City starlet’s more crash-and-bang approach.

As for life post-Trent Alexander-Arnold, Carragher believes Liverpool should put their faith in Conor Bradley despite an injury hit season for the young Northern Irishman.

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Links with Roger Fernandes, Givairo Read and Wesley Franca – the agent of Flamengo’s Brazil international was in England for talks last week – suggest that the Premier League champions will sign a young, up-and-coming right-back rather than pay a princely sum for a more established operator.

“Jeremie Frimpong has been linked several times and the Bayer Leverkusen wing back will be on the move,” Steele adds.
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