Liverpool transfer stories may soon no longer have to come with such a major disclaimer. Right now, it’s hard to see how FSG could be making any concrete plans without either a manager or sporting director in place for next season.
But there is movement on that front. It seems Michael Edwards is primed to take up an overarching role, with Richard Hughes operating underneath him as the sporting director. A successor to Jürgen Klopp will hopefully follow in due course.
Even with that position vacant, however, Liverpool is close to getting the sort of structure in place that will allow for legitimate transfer activity. Perhaps the ever-meticulous Edwards is already taking a look around, in anticipation of his potential re-appointment.
It doesn’t take an industry-leading transfer guru to realize that defense is one of the areas most likely to be looked at in the summer. The oldest part of Klopp’s existing team, it is also set to lose Joël Matip at the end of his existing deal, and recruitment is likely even accounting for the rapid rise of Jarell Quansah.
But other positions could be targeted too. Will the next manager feel the need for a specialist defensive midfielder? And is there scope to further strengthen the attack, with Mohamed Salah heading towards the final year of his deal? Here is the Liverpool.com verdict on the transfer gossip to emerge around the Reds today.
Alan Varela (Porto)
Heading into the season, there were doubts over whether Liverpool could truly compete without a specialist defensive midfielder. With one trophy in the bag and three more up for grabs, that particular take has aged rather badly.
If nothing else, it overlooked the significance of Wataru Endō, who has exceeded expectations to become a key member of the squad. But perhaps even more significantly, Alexis Mac Allister has taken to the role like a duck to water, making a mockery of the price Chelsea paid for his former club-mate Moisés Caicedo.
That being said, Mac Allister has also shone a little further forward in recent weeks, and another ex-teammate from a different club could duly be on the FSG shopping list. He and Alan Varela never overlapped in the Boca Juniors first team, but the holding midfielder has seen his reputation soar since a 2020 debut, now plying his trade for Porto.
According to Foot Mercato, Liverpool is one of three clubs to ‘come forward’ in its pursuit of Varela, alongside PSG and Borussia Dortmund. Porto is expected to hold out for the $77m (£60m/€70m) release clause for a player who has been dubbed the next Javier Mascherano.
