Liverpool's summer transfer window was always going to be defined by departures. Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson leaving on free transfers guaranteed that. But the broader scale of the rebuild now becoming clear at Anfield goes well beyond two legendary players walking out the door.
Ibrahima Konate, a centre-back who has started 183 games for the club and won a Premier League title, is set to leave for nothing. Curtis Jones, an academy graduate who grew up dreaming of playing for this club, is being courted by Inter Milan. Arne Slot, the head coach tasked with navigating this transition, is finally getting the coaching staff he wanted from day one.
This is not a reset. It is a reconstruction. And the decisions made in the next six weeks will determine whether Liverpool challenge for the title again next season or slide further away from the elite. Follow all the latest moves and live scores throughout the window at iScore.ai.
Konate Walks Away After Five Years
The news broke quietly on Thursday. Ibrahima Konate, 27, has been unable to reach agreement on a new contract and will leave Liverpool as a free agent. Talks had been ongoing for months. An extension was reportedly close a few weeks ago. Then nothing.
Konate arrived from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021 for £36m. Over five seasons he established himself as Virgil van Dijk's primary partner at centre-back, making 183 appearances and winning one Premier League title (2024-25), one FA Cup and two Carabao Cups. He was a France international regular, dependable in the air and increasingly comfortable playing on the front foot.
But there were warning signs. Jamie Carragher publicly criticized Konate's "lazy" defending during the Fulham defeat, highlighting moments where concentration lapsed. The injuries never fully went away either. Konate missed chunks of three separate seasons with muscle problems. When he was fit and focused, he was excellent. When he was not, the gaps were obvious.
Losing him for nothing is a bitter pill. A 27-year-old France international with 183 club appearances should command a significant fee on the open market. Liverpool will receive nothing. Konate has been linked with clubs across Europe since January but has yet to decide his next destination.
Jeremy Jacquet: The £60m Solution
Jeremy Jacquet will become a Liverpool player this summer, just before he turns 21. The fee from Rennes is £60m, making him the second-most expensive defender in Liverpool's history behind only Virgil van Dijk.
Jacquet is a left-sided centre-back, comfortable carrying the ball out from the back and athletic enough to play in a high line. He fits the profile Slot wants for his defensive rebuild: young, technically strong, capable of playing 40+ games a season. The scouting department identified him early and moved decisively.
The concern is fitness. Jacquet missed the final weeks of the Ligue 1 season with a shoulder injury and has not played competitive football since April. He is expected to be fit for pre-season but arriving at a new club in a new country while recovering from injury is not the ideal introduction to Premier League football.
Liverpool also have Geovanni Leoni returning from an ACL injury, which adds another variable to the centre-back equation. Joe Gomez has one year left on his contract and could be sold. Van Dijk, now 34, is still at the club but the clock is ticking on his career as an every-game starter.
Replacing Salah: The Diomande Plan
Mohamed Salah is gone. After eight seasons, 214 goals and every meaningful club record, he departs as a free agent. Replacing him is impossible. Liverpool know this. They are not trying to find a like-for-like replacement.
Instead, they are pursuing a composite approach. The primary target is Yan Diomande, the RB Leipzig winger who has been one of the most sought-after young attackers in Europe this season. Liverpool face serious competition for his signature, with several Champions League clubs interested.
Diomande would not replicate Salah's numbers. Nobody on the market can. What he would provide is pace, directness and the ability to stretch defenses from the right flank. The thinking at Liverpool is that Salah's output can be partially replaced by improving the overall attacking unit rather than loading everything onto one player.
Rio Ngumoha, the young winger already at the club, offers a similar cutting-in-and-curling style from the opposite flank. Jeremie Frimpong can operate further forward. Hugo Ekitike arrived last summer and Alexander Isak was the marquee signing up front. The pieces are there. They just need to fit together without Salah as the focal point.
There is a complication. Ekitike missed the end of the season with an Achilles injury and his availability for pre-season is uncertain. Liverpool may need to add a central attacking option as well as a wide player, turning a busy window into an even busier one.
Robertson Leaves, Left-Back Gap Opens
Andy Robertson is departing after seven years, 330 appearances and the captain's armband for Scotland at the upcoming World Cup. He won the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, two Carabao Cups and the Club World Cup at Liverpool. The farewell at Anfield was emotional and thoroughly deserved.
Tottenham are the favorites to sign him on a free transfer, with Spurs having pursued him since January. Juventus have shown late interest but Robertson is expected to head to north London rather than Turin. He wants to stay in the Premier League and captain Scotland at the World Cup before making the move.
Kostas Tsimikas returns from his loan spell and will compete for the starting left-back position. But Tsimikas has never established himself as a genuine first-choice option at Liverpool and the club are likely to add cover in that area before the window closes.
Curtis Jones and the Inter Milan Interest
Curtis Jones is an interesting case. The 25-year-old academy product made 16 Premier League starts this season with a further 18 appearances off the bench. He started seven consecutive games at the end of the campaign and performed well. But under Arne Slot, he has never been a guaranteed starter.
Inter Milan have been tracking Jones for some time and remain seriously interested. The Italian champions see him as a versatile midfield option who can operate in multiple roles. For Jones, the question is whether he is prepared to accept a squad role at the club he supported as a boy or whether regular starts at a Champions League club in Serie A is too good to turn down.
Liverpool would not stand in his way if the price is right. The club need to raise funds to support their spending this summer and selling an academy player represents pure profit on the balance sheet. It is a cold calculation but one that modern football demands.
Alisson Rejects Juventus Approach
One piece of good news for Liverpool supporters is that Alisson Becker is expected to stay. Juventus identified the Brazil international as their top summer target and made their interest known. But Alisson has decided to remain at Anfield for at least another season.
The goalkeeper turns 34 in October and is entering the final years of his peak. Keeping him provides stability at the back during a window where almost everything else around the defense is changing. A new centre-back partner, potentially a new left-back, and a restructured midfield ahead of him. Having Alisson behind all of that is a significant reassurance.
Slot Gets His Man: Reijnen Joins Staff
Arne Slot will also have a new face on the training ground next season. Etienne Reijnen, his former assistant at Feyenoord, is expected to join the Liverpool backroom team this summer. Slot wanted to bring Reijnen with him when he arrived in 2024 but work permit issues blocked the move.
Those issues have now been resolved. Reijnen's arrival gives Slot a trusted sounding board during what will be the most challenging period of his Liverpool tenure. Rebuilding a squad that lost its two most iconic players and its most reliable centre-back is not a task for the faint-hearted.
Slot insisted at the end of the season that there is "more to come" from this Liverpool team. He pointed to the transition period and the need to challenge for every trophy next season. Those words will be tested quickly. The club finished third in the Premier League this season, won nothing, and lost their title. The margin for error is shrinking.
What Liverpool's Squad Looks Like Next Season
Based on current information, here is how Liverpool's squad is shaping up for the 2026-27 campaign.
Goalkeeper: Alisson (staying), Caoimhin Kelleher (backup)
Centre-back: Virgil van Dijk, Jeremy Jacquet (new), Joe Gomez (one year left), Geovanni Leoni (returning from ACL), Jarell Quansah
Full-back: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley, Kostas Tsimikas (returning from loan), Calvin Ramsay
Midfield: Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones (subject to Inter interest), Wataru Endo, new No. 6 target expected
Attack: Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike (injury concern), Rio Ngumoha, Jeremie Frimpong, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Yan Diomande (target), new central option possible
The spine of the team remains strong. Alisson in goal, Van Dijk at centre-back, Gravenberch and Mac Allister in midfield, Isak up front. But the depth is being tested and the club cannot afford another summer where they fail to address their weaknesses before the season starts.
The Premier League does not wait. Arsenal just won the title and could complete a double by beating PSG in the Champions League final. Manchester City will retool. Chelsea have a new manager in Xabi Alonso. The competition at the top is relentless.
Liverpool have the manager, the infrastructure and the financial resources to compete. What they need now is execution in the transfer market. Konate leaving for nothing is a failure of contract management. Salah and Robertson departing together is the end of an era. How Slot and the recruitment team fill those gaps will define the next chapter at Anfield.
Track every signing, every departure and every live score throughout the summer at iScore.ai. The transfer window opens on June 15 and Liverpool have work to do.