Andoni Iraola admits to TWO areas of concern in his Liverpool squad as he pushes board for more signings

Andoni Iraola has identified two areas of concern and has issued an indirect appeal to transfer chiefs to kick on with summer plans.

The Reds have had a slow window thus far with only one arrival in Spanish World Cup winner Victor Munoz from Osasuna.

But Iraola issued a hands-off warning for Alisson and Alexis Mac Allister, who have been tracked by foreign clubs, and insisted he wants to add to his squad.

'It is difficult to say a number when the market is open,' said the Basque. 'You have to be always open to new options to improve the squad.

'There are obvious situations where we know we need to sign players. Winger, for example. We definitely need to sign a winger. In other situations, we will have to analyse what the market gives you, what the cost is, how we see the players we have.

'We have some tricky positions where we have injured players that we trust that are not in the ideal situation. It depends on a lot of things.'

Iraola also said Liverpool are 'very thin' in terms of defensive depth, with Conor Bradley out for several months more yet after a long-term knee injury.

Asked about potential exits, Iraola insisted Alisson will remain No 1 after intense interest from Juventus earlier in the window and added on World Cup runner-up Mac Allister: 'Alexis has been one of the best players of the club in the last years.

'He has had a very good World Cup so it is normal that other clubs want our best players. It always happens in the market. I want to keep my good players. I am looking more to sign new players than losing the ones we have.'

Liverpool are in Chicago for a pre-season training camp and will fly to Nashville at the weekend for a friendly against Sunderland before warm-up games against Wrexham in New York City and Sunderland back here in the so-called Windy City.

Several star names are missing from the tour given their participation in the World Cup but Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch will fly out to the States next week, likely in situ for the friendly at Yankee Stadium.

Captain Virgil van Dijk will not partake in the tour due to the fact he is 35 and had an arduous season last time. Since June 2025, he has played more minutes for club and country than any other player in Europe's top five leagues.

His compatriot Cody Gakpo will also be absent on compassionate leave after his partner lost a child during pregnancy last month. Alisson, now 33, is also not expected to join up with the squad after his exploits in the World Cup with Brazil.

Five players on tour are carrying injuries. Two, Wataru Endo and Stefan Bajcetic, will start training in the coming days. Giovanni Leoni is the closest of the other three, with Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike still 'some months' away from fitness.