Arne Slot wants to build a team capable of retaining the Premier League title and going further in next year's Champions League, having enjoyed a superb first season
Liverpool have held talks with Florian Wirtz and want the Bayer Leverkusen star to be at the centre a stacked line-up next season. The Reds have joined Bayern Munich and Manchester City in the race to sign Wirtz, who's valued at a massive £126million.
The Germany international has been heavily linked with Bundesliga giants Bayern, who as things stand aren't willing to pay Leverkusen's asking price. That's given both Liverpool and City the opportunity to swoop, with talks understood to have been held in England on Tuesday.
Representatives from Liverpool reportedly met Wirtz, 22, and his parents in Blackpool before they travelled to Manchester to meet with City chiefs. Arne Slot will be hoping that his colleagues made a good case to the family, with German playmaker yet to decide his future and under contract with Leverkusen until 2027.
Slot's ambition is to bolster his squad and have strength in depth going into the 2025-26 campaign. The Reds want to retain the Premier League title and fight to win the Champions League, having exited in the round of 16 this term.
Domestically, Liverpool were beaten in the League Cup final while Slot's decision to rest nearly all of his star players saw them crash out of the FA Cup. But with Wirtz and three more additions, Slot and Co. will be confident that they can do better next time around.
Despite the arrival of Giorgi Mamardashvili for £25m, Alisson Becker is expected to start the season as Slot's No.1. It's in front of him where the change begins, specifically at full-back.
With the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold confirmed and Andy Robertson's powers waning aged 31, Liverpool's ideal replacements are becoming clearer. Dutch right-back Jeremie Frimpong, Wirtz's team-mate at Leverkusen, is increasingly being linked with a move to Anfield while Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez is reportedly the Reds' first-choice left-back target.
The midfield duo of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister have been the heartbeat of Liverpool's success this term so aren't likely to change. The most probable outcome is that Wirtz, who can play as a striker, will replace Dominik Szoboszlai in the No.10 position.
Szoboszlai has scored seven goals in each of his two seasons with Liverpool, whereas Wirtz has notched 16 and 18 respectively. The 22-year-old also dwarves Szoboszlai in terms of assists - 33 over the last two seasons compared to the Hungarian's 12.
That's while playing behind a striker, where the Reds could also look to upgrade. Diogo Jota's injury record this season coupled with Darwin Nunez's woes in front of goal have left fans yearning for a new centre forward.
Liverpool have been linked to a host of potential targets but Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike is a name being mentioned more and more frequently. Ekitike has scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists for Frankfurt, who he joined permanently from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
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The Frenchman has been linked with various others clubs, with the striker market a hot topic this summer. Ekitike's age profile would help give the Reds a younger look to their attack, with Mo Salah due to turn 33 this summer and Luis Diaz turning 29 next January.
Cody Gakpo could join Szoboszlai in being a causality of Slot's recruitment drive, although the Reds boss has been desperate for that level of depth this season, as opposed to sticking with a select group of 15 or so players. If Liverpool take their momentum from this season into next with some new blood, it could be a daunting prospect for the rest of the Premier League.