Liverpool have had an incredibly large list of outgoings this summer, with even club captain Jordan Henderson departing the club, alongside Fabinho. The midfield duo followed James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Roberto Firmino, and Naby Keita out the door as notable exits in the current transfer window.
Tipped for a major rebuild in reports at the end of last season, the Reds have welcomed just two players so far this summer, amid the chaos of the departures. And, whilst Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai likely represent solid business, Liverpool are still without a recognised defensive midfielder following Fabinho’s exit.
The Premier League giants have continuously pursued Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, but are yet to reach the Saints’ reported £50m valuation, leaving the likes of Jamie Carragher frustrated by the saga.
As players leave the club, however, one man has avoided any significant rumours, and looks set to stay put. And that’s Mohamed Salah, whose agent took to Twitter to assure fans of his client’s future, saying: “If we considered leaving LFC this year, we wouldn’t have renewed the contract last summer. Mohamed remains committed to LFC.”
Steven Gerrard, meanwhile, has revealed why he won’t try to sign Salah – who has scored 186 goals for Liverpool – at El-Ettifaq this summer despite links in the media.
What did Steven Gerrard say about Mo Salah?
Speaking in a recent interview with Sada Al Mala’eb – later circulated on Twitter – when asked whether he would like to see Salah at Al-Ettifaq, manager Gerrard revealed: “Haha, no! No, no – the answer is no.
“Because Mohamed Salah is my favourite player, I love Liverpool Football Club, so Mohamed can stay where he is.
“When he wins more leagues and more Champions Leagues with Liverpool, we’ll maybe consider it.”
Liverpool fans will be feeling relieved that their former midfielder isn’t coming back for another player, after welcoming Henderson to Al-Ettifaq earlier in the summer.
Speaking on leaving the club, Henderson said, via BBC: “When Liverpool come knocking, you don’t say no.
“I can’t lie, there have been hard times, really hard times. But when I look back at my career at Liverpool, it will always be the good times that I remember.”
What’s the latest Liverpool transfer news?
Liverpool’s attempt to sign a defensive midfielder has continued with their pursuit of Lavia. As already mentioned, however, so far, that pursuit has failed miserably.
As per Fabrizio Romano, and Melissa Reddy, Southampton are holding out for £50m, and look increasingly unlikely to budge on that stance, given the fact that they reportedly rejected Liverpool’s £45m bid.
With the start of the Premier League season edging closer, too, Jurgen Klopp must come up with a viable solution. His side have the tough task of facing Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge on the opening day. If they get off to a bad start, Liverpool could struggle to get going in the forthcoming campaign.
The Reds will certainly be an interesting side to watch this season, with a clear attacking depth handing them the advantage of goals in front of what could yet be a makeshift midfield, despite the arrivals of Mac Allister and Szoboszlai at Anfield this summer.