Liverpool's Summer Transfer Window: What to Expect

Andoni Iraola is not done with this Liverpool squad. Not yet.

That is the clear expectation of former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who believes the final weeks of the summer window will bring a flurry of activity at Anfield as the new era takes shape under the Spaniard.

A squad in flux

Liverpool have already moved early in parts. Jeremy Jacquet finally arrived after signing his pre-contract back in February, with Victor Munoz and Ronald Araujo also landing on Merseyside to freshen up the group.

But the departures have cut deep.

Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah have all walked away as free agents. Three pillars of recent Liverpool sides gone for nothing, and with the Premier League season looming, the anxiety in the stands is real. The spine, the leadership, the goals – all need replacing.

Supporters have latched onto one name: Bradley Barcola. The PSG winger has been heavily linked, a statement signing for the flanks, but the European champions’ valuation has turned the chase into a drawn-out saga. Liverpool like him. PSG want big money. For now, it sits in stalemate.

So attention has turned to alternatives. Ibrahim Mbaye has emerged as a more affordable option, another PSG talent who could offer some of the same profile without the same price tag. It’s the kind of deal that would fit the “second wave” of business Borson expects.

‘Liverpool will be active in the next two weeks’

Borson, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, is convinced the real shake-up is only just beginning.

"There's then the clearing. I think you have a sort of clearing situation where the clubs are trying to get rid of their fringe players," he said, outlining the market dynamic that usually defines the end of a window.

"Liverpool, presumably, are going to start being active in the market. You've got to think they're going to buy two or three players in the last couple of weeks.

"I still think there's a lot of business that's going to get done, but probably on the lower end, the sort of sub-£50million level."

So this may not be a summer of repeated blockbusters, but of volume and refinement – tightening the squad, trimming the edges, and plugging gaps exposed in pre-season.

Pre-season warning signs

Those gaps have been on show.

Defeats to Leeds United and Monaco have stripped away any illusion that this squad is ready-made for Iraola’s demands. The intensity he craves, the structure he needs, the depth to sustain it – none of it looks fully in place yet.

The friendlies have not just been about fitness; they’ve been a reminder that Liverpool still feel like a work in progress. The recruitment department knows it. The manager knows it. The supporters definitely know it.

Talk around the club suggests that once the Barcola situation is resolved – one way or another – Liverpool are prepared to “spend big” on other key targets. But time is running out, and every slow negotiation eats into Iraola’s chance to bed new signings in before the real football starts.

Who else could go?

The movement will not be one-way.

Cody Gakpo has admirers at Tottenham Hotspur. Their interest is real, even if it remains unclear whether they will actually test Liverpool’s resolve with a formal bid. Gakpo’s versatility and age make him a valuable asset; letting him go now would raise serious questions about depth in the forward line, especially with Salah already gone.

Alexis Mac Allister’s future has also become a talking point. The Argentine remains central to Liverpool’s midfield plans, but when a squad is being reshaped so aggressively, speculation tends to swirl around even the most important names.

Then there is Alisson.

Earlier in the summer, the goalkeeper was widely expected to head for Juventus. On paper, it made sense: a new challenge for him, a sizeable fee for Liverpool, and a clean slate under a new coach. But the clock has ticked on. With only days left before the season kicks off, cashing in now would be a huge gamble, leaving Iraola scrambling for a replacement in the most unforgiving part of the market.

Selling your goalkeeper, your last line of calm, on the eve of a new campaign? That would be a bold move, and not in a good way.

So Liverpool stand at a crossroads. A new manager, a half-built squad, big names gone, big decisions to come. The window is closing fast, and the next two weeks will reveal whether this is a careful rebuild or a rushed scramble that defines Iraola’s first season before a ball is even kicked.