Liverpool's Summer Transfer Plans: New Manager and Key Targets

Liverpool’s summer of upheaval is gathering pace. A new manager, a rebuilt attack, and a transfer battle with Manchester United – all before the window has even opened.

Iraola era takes shape – and Diomande says yes

Andoni Iraola is expected to be confirmed as Liverpool’s new head coach this week, stepping into the space left by Arne Slot, and the club are already moving aggressively to reshape the squad around him.

The dressing room he inherits will feel very different. Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté – three of the most influential figures in recent years – have gone. Their experience, their voice, their presence: all ripped out in one summer. The response from the recruitment team has been immediate.

Jeremy Jacquet is already locked in, a £60 million January agreement bringing the centre-back to Merseyside this summer. At left-back, the picture is less settled, with Milos Kerkez and Kostas Tsimikas the current options as Liverpool weigh up whether that area needs a more definitive solution.

Up front, the situation is more urgent. Salah’s departure leaves a void in goals, assists and sheer aura. Hugo Ekitike’s ruptured Achilles, which is expected to rule him out until 2027, strips away another attacking option. The 2025–26 campaign is already casting a shadow, with Liverpool unconvinced they can rely on the fitness of club-record signing Alexander Isak.

They need a new spearhead. They think they’ve found one.

According to French journalist Santi Aouna, RB Leipzig’s teenage sensation Yan Diomande has already given the green light to a move to Anfield – and, crucially, to Paris Saint-Germain as well – ahead of the window’s official opening on June 15. The decision now lies with the clubs.

At 19, Diomande is Liverpool’s top target to step into the space Salah has left on the right. His breakthrough season in the Bundesliga has been electric: 13 goals and 10 assists in 36 appearances for Leipzig, numbers that back up the “superstar” billing he is already attracting in Germany.

Leipzig know what they have. One journalist has suggested they value him at up to €120m (£104m). That is the level of fee Liverpool and PSG will have to wrestle with. The player has signalled his willingness. The market will decide the rest.

Liverpool crash Man United’s Fernandes pursuit

While the focus has been on replacing Salah, Liverpool have also stepped into one of the summer’s most intriguing midfield sagas – and straight into Manchester United’s path.

United, buoyed by Champions League qualification and preparing for sweeping changes of their own, have been leading the chase for West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes. The Portugal international has permission to leave the London Stadium after the Hammers’ relegation, determined to avoid a season in the Championship after standing out in a struggling side.

Two consecutive Premier League relegations would normally stain a player’s reputation. Fernandes has somehow turned them into a showcase. At both Southampton and West Ham he emerged as one of the few bright spots, drawing praise as arguably the standout performer in each campaign, all before his 22nd birthday.

United’s pitch is obvious. The prospect of linking up with Bruno Fernandes at Old Trafford has been a major draw, and they have long been considered favourites for his signature.

Liverpool have disrupted that script. TEAMtalk report that the Anfield club are now “ones to watch” in what is shaping up to be a fierce contest for the midfielder, with Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain also in the frame.

West Ham’s stance is clear: they want £80m for their prize asset. The market’s response is just as clear: bids are expected closer to £60m. Somewhere between those two figures, a deal will be struck – by someone.

Liverpool, then, stand on the brink of a defining summer. A new manager, a potential €120m winger to lead the next attacking era, and a direct transfer duel with Manchester United for one of the Premier League’s most coveted young midfielders.

How decisively they act now will shape not just Iraola’s first season, but the direction of the club for years to come.