Liverpool is still yet to make a signing this summer. Even so, potential outgoing business is making the headlines just as much as incomings, with Virgil van Dijk reportedly eyed up for a transfer to Saudi Arabia .
The latest claim is that Liverpool would not be entirely set against selling Van Dijk , and indeed has named its price to Saudi negotiators. The Dutchman has been the club captain for the past year.
He is yet to link up with compatriot and new head coach Arne Slot , having been afforded a break after Euro 2024 . But Van Dijk has previously expressed his excitement about helping to start a new era at Anfield .
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Presumably, he will belatedly be joined in that quest by some new signings, too. Here is the Liverpool.com verdict on the transfer gossip to emerge around the Reds today, including the latest on Joshua Kimmich at Bayern Munich.
Joshua Kimmich
It had been a little while since we'd heard anything new on the Kimmich front. Earlier in the summer, he was linked with Liverpool , with Anfield chiefs supposedly on "red alert".
If that is indeed the case, the latest remarks from Max Eberl will have raised eyebrows in the Liverpool corridors of power. The Bundesliga giant's sporting director refused to say that Kimmich definitely has a starting spot at Bayern:
"Joshua is an excellent player, but it is simply true that professional football is a competitive sport and we cannot tell a player that his place is guaranteed," said Eberl, via Alfredo Pedulla .
Liverpool.com says: These aren't especially controversial remarks. But in the context of the transfer rumors, Eberl had a chance to restate Kimmich's credentials as a key part of the Bayern Munich plan, something he notably did not do.
The director means business, having said even more openly that Matthijs de Ligt may leave before the end of the summer. The defender has primarily been linked with Manchester United, although a Liverpool swoop would be plausible .
As for Kimmich, he can play in the holding role, where Liverpool might decide to strengthen. But his age and salary demands mean he is far from a classic Michael Edwards acquisition.
Virgil van Dijk
Bayern Munich is not the only club reportedly contemplating departures of high-profile stars. According to TEAMtalk , Van Dijk is not as untouchable at Liverpool as many would have assumed.
The defender admitted he wasn't sure about what came next after exiting the Euros, with his contract at Liverpool now into its final year. Presumably, he will have talks with Slot once he returns to the AXA Training Centre.
But in the meantime, Liverpool has supposedly told a Saudi deal-maker that it will sanction a sale for $60m (£46m/€55m). From the PIF side of things, that is currently considered too high for the 33-year-old, although it will take a few days to complete internal evaluations.
Liverpool.com says: We're into the realms of the kinds of debates we have been having about Mohamed Salah since last summer. On paper, it would clearly be very astute business for Liverpool to get back well over half of what it paid for Van Dijk, with the defender into the last year of his contract and already 33.
But that has to be weighed up against the cost on the pitch. Losing the captain and an ever-present in the back line as Slot seeks to take on the already-impossible task of replacing Jurgen Klopp would be a long way from ideal, and selling Van Dijk would only be good "value" if Liverpool was confident it could reinvest the funds wisely, planning for the future in a way that does not cause a steep drop-off in immediate performance.
Liverpool's lack of interest in hijacking a deal for Leny Yoro suggests it's highly unlikely it is envisaging needing a new starting center-back ahead of the new campaign. If Van Dijk was on his way out, that would have changed the equation.
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