Liverpool have new transfer strategy as future under Andoni Iraola becomes clearer

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Only six teams had a higher average age in the Premier League last year than Liverpool - but they are planning to change that, writes Paul GorstOnly six teams had a higher average age in the Premier League last year than Liverpool. The figure of 26.2 was only lower than Fulham, Burnley, Everton, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Newcastle United.Of course, with a 33-year-old Mohamed Salah drawing a close to his legendary career on Merseyside with 27 league appearances and club captain Virgil van Dijk, who is 35 this month, playing every minute, it is no surprise to see the Reds feature where they did in that particular list.Throw the long-serving duo of Alisson Becker and Andy Robertson into the mix and it is clear Liverpool's average age was brought up significantly by the legendary figures of the Jurgen Klopp era.Now, less than a fortnight before pre-season training gets underway for the new campaign, only Alisson and Van Dijk remain from that quartet.And while neither are likely to have any of their importance or influence diluted this term under head coach Andoni Iraola, it is clear the club are looking to implement the next generation around them.Nineteen-year-old Yan Diomande has been identified as a key transfer target this summer, with Liverpool willing to offer up to £86m for the Ivory Coast international, should RB Leipzig be willing to do business.Reports that Paris Saint-Germain are Diomande's preferred destination should he leave, however, means Liverpool have also included Bradley Barcola, the 23-year-old France winger, on a shortlist of potential options.Victor Munoz, who Liverpool signed last month after triggering his £34.5m release clause at Osasuna, doesn't turn 23 until July 13, which just happens to be the Reds' first day of pre-season.Coincidentally, that is the same birthday as new £60m signing Jeremy Jacquet, who turns 21 later this month.Liverpool believe they have signed the best young defender in France, fending off strong competition from a slew of European clubs, including Chelsea, to land Jacquet and he has fully recovered from shoulder surgery he underwent in March, meaning he will be present from day one of pre-season.With players like Rio Ngumoha - who won't turn 18 until late August - and Trey Nyoni, who celebrated his 19th birthday earlier this week, ready to take the next steps towards more first-team seniority this summer, it's clear Liverpool are planning for the long term, both within their current squad and the profile of players they are targeting.Having signed Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong last summer - four players who were all aged between 21 and 24 when they joined - the average age of the players brought in over the last two years has been under 22.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!

All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageIt's why Liverpool believe they are building a squad that will blossom and mature together in the same way so many of the Jurgen Klopp crop became iconic names during the years between 2018 and 2024.In the Academy ranks, Samuel Martinez, the Colombian youth international, is expected to join next year from Atletico Nacional when he turns 18, after Liverpool won a race that was said to have also contained Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Chelsea.The South American playmaker will join Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Noah Adekoya as players for the Under-21s, while the new contract for Joshua Abe, who is still just 15, was viewed as a significant development given the level of external interest in the winger, notably from Manchester City and Arsenal.However, for all the proactive attempts to reshape the squad ahead of this new era under Andoni Iraola, bringing in players with a younger profile and less experience always carries a risk.Chelsea's model under their BlueCo ownership has been widely criticised for a constant churn of players of a certain age range at a ludicrous cost without yielding real results on the pitch, and their pursuit of 33-year-old Granit Xhaka is perhaps an admission that the Londoners are starting to redress that balance.Liverpool have also been accused of lacking leaders behind the scenes after a chastening campaign where their defence of the Premier League title saw them beaten 12 times as they limped into fifth on the final day of the term.And it is fair to reflect that there is some internal acceptance that recruiting players in their early 20s sometimes means there will be an adaptation period before they are able to showcase their true potential. Some natural teething problems are expected before a new-look squad is able to flourish.But as is obvious by the transfer targets and the recent business, the club are aiming to lower the squad's age and supply Iraola with a new crop who can write their own story.