Liverpool will not stand still this summer and rest on their laurels. The club want to be busy in the transfer market and strengthen their squad to compete again next season and develop the next title-winning team.

Even captain Virgil van Dijk said the club are ‘planning to make it a big summer’ as he signed his new two-year contract earlier this month. Given Arsenal and Manchester City both intend to invest significantly, Liverpool know they must do the same to stay ahead.

Work on targets to improve Arne Slot’s squad has been going on since Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes arrived last year.

Liverpool have already secured a new goalkeeper in Giorgi Mamardashvili – the 24-year-old Georgia international who was bought last summer but stayed on loan at Valencia for the season – as well as a winger in Federico Chiesa, who has suffered with injury problems this term.

The Reds want to move quickly now the Premier League title is won, with their priority positions a new striker, winger and left-back forming the bulk of their plan.

If they are successful with those, they will then look to move onto a new central midfielder, further help at right-back considering Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected join Real Madrid on a free transfer, and a new young centre-back.

So who are they targeting?…

Strikers

We know three players Liverpool have been interested in for some time are Alexander Isak, Victor Osimhen and Benjamin Sesko.

Isak is seen as the ideal profile and they showed interest last summer ahead of the June 30 PSR deadline, which was an issue at the time for Newcastle. It is much less of one this time around and puts the Magpies in a much stronger position as they fight to keep the Sweden international.

The problem now – and for any club – is the cost. Newcastle value him way beyond £100m and are under no pressure to sell certainly if they finish in the Champions League places.

Osimhen, however, comes back on the market as his loan at Galatasaray comes to an end and he returns to parent club Napoli – who still want to sell him. With one year left on his contract, his value becomes more manageable than it was for many clubs last year, although he is slightly older than Isak at 26.

Sesko is one of the most highly-rated young strikers in Europe and was assessed heavily by clubs towards the January window, including Liverpool and Arsenal, but agreed with RB Leipzig to stay until the summer. He is now poised to move and the Slovenia international – who turns 22 in May – is expected to do so into the Premier League.

Hugo Ekitike has emerged as another name to keep an eye on following his strong development at Eintracht Frankfurt this term, having been on the radar of many top clubs for a few years now. He impressed as Frankfurt were knocked out in the Europa League quarter-finals by Tottenham Hotspur.

Wingers

Two wingers they have watched for some time and who showcase the kind of profile Liverpool want are Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.

They are both 25, are most effective on the right, but also have the versatility to be equally adept on the left, cutting inside, or playing through the middle – and they have been prolific scorers in the Premier League.

Manchester United are currently ahead of the pack for Semenyo, Sky Sports News reported earlier this month, but Liverpool remain interested and his next destination is yet to be assured.

Another player Liverpool and many clubs have been impressed by this season is Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, but he would be much harder to get from the Midlands club, especially if they finish in the Champions League places, and is likely to cost more than the other two.

Last summer, Liverpool showed strong interest in Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon amid the Magpies’ PSR issues. Potential deals involving Joe Gomez or Jarell Quansah going the other way were mooted, but that very much felt like an opportunity of the time rather than something Liverpool will look to resume this summer.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was another player Liverpool really liked and may have acted on if a Premier League move was viable last January. Instead, he joined Paris Saint-Germain.

Left-backs

Liverpool want a new left-back who can share the workload with Andy Robertson, now 31, in the short term, but eventually move into his shoes via his tutelage. There is one name they like in particular: Milos Kerkez.

The Hungary international was signed by sporting director Hughes for Bournemouth in 2023, so he knows well what he is capable of, and he has been the standout player in his position in the Premier League this season. However, Liverpool now face strong competition from Real Madrid and Manchester City, as reported by Sky Sports News last week.

Fulham’s Antonee Robinson and Wolves’ Rayan Ait Nouri are also among the type of attacking left-backs Liverpool are looking for and have had strong seasons in the Premier League. There is a feeling at Wolves that Ait Nouri has earned the chance to move to a bigger club if a suitable offer comes in.

The other positions

The ideal scenario is Liverpool get to the point in the summer where they can make some clever young additions on top of those more urgent areas, and centre-back is one they are thinking about.

This is in part due to some uncertainty around Gomez and Quansah, who have not played as much, but also there evidently being three right-footed centre-backs in the squad, who are more comfortable on the right side than the left, where there is only Van Dijk as the natural player.

This has led to Liverpool being one of the clubs in the running for the two-footed Bournemouth star Dean Huijsen. But – again – there is competition from a raft of teams including Real Madrid, Arsenal, Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester United.

At right-back, Slot remains an admirer of his previous Feyenoord player Lutsharel Geertruida, while Liverpool have often been linked with another Dutchman in Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong too. However, the club are keen to push on with Conor Bradley and one of either Quansah or Gomez could cover if they stay.

Central midfield is more ambiguous. Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi was targeted heavily last summer but he turned them down and now looks destined for Arsenal. Recent reports have linked Liverpool with Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton as another example.

Outgoings

The expected departure of Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid is well documented and there are question marks over the futures of other players too. Liverpool’s keenness to invest in new players means some exits will inevitably accelerate when additions arrive.

Although Alisson will remain No 1, Liverpool believe Mamardashvili has big potential for the future and that throws current deputy Caoimhin Kelleher‘s future into real doubt. Other Premier League clubs have long had him on their lists for when he becomes available so he will not be short of takers.

With a new top striker a priority, Darwin Nunez’s future also becomes interesting. Liverpool are not actively pushing him out the door yet but he has not played much and will attract offers from elsewhere. He is one of many players linked with Saudi Arabia.

Harvey Elliot also finds himself in a similar position, with the club having such respect for the player that they will not stand in his way if a good club comes in to offer him more game time. Sky Sports News exclusively revealed in January that the likes of Brighton, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig were starting to have a serious look at trying to sign him.

There are other big presences in the Liverpool squad that the club may face a real decision on, such as Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota – neither players the club particularly want to lose, but may attract offers from elsewhere and it remains to be seen if they are too good not to listen to.

Quansah retains interest from Newcastle while Gomez will always have good choices in the Premier League, and left-back Kostas Tsimikas is expected to be moved on for a newcomer to come in.

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