Ever since Jurgen Klopp announced his intention to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season back in January, transfer speculation regarding the Reds squad has inevitably ramped up.
Thiago Alcantara, Joel Matip, and Adrian are all out of contract this summer and will almost certainly join Klopp in departing. But if the transfer gossip columns are to be believed, an Anfield exodus is looming, with such talk only ramping up as the club closes in on the appointment of Feyenoord boss Arne Slot as Klopp's successor.
Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Ryan Gravenberch, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Caoimhin Kelleher have all been linked with various moves elsewhere at some point over the course of the campaign, while there have also been suggestions that the club could be prepared to cut their losses on the likes of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo.
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Throw in the Reds' recent struggles on the pitch and onlookers have unsurprisingly been rather less forgiving to out-of-form stars, or those boasting chequered injury pasts. So that's the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, and even Dominik Szoboszlai also 'at risk', while you never had to dig around too deeply on social media to unearth suggestions to oust the likes of Joe Gomez, Harvey Elliott, and Kostas Tsimimas.
Good luck, Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo. Looks like you're virtually on your own next season when Slot takes over!
Of course, such talk, while inevitable when a side is recently out of form and also in the process of hiring a new manager, is rather ridiculous.
There will be Anfield exits beyond Klopp at the end of the season and uncertainty will still persist, of course. Van Dijk, Salah, and Alexander-Arnold are all out of contract in 2025 for starters.
But Liverpool's summer under their new Dutch head coach will be one of evolution rather than revolution, with the Reds squad that starts the 2024/25 season having a rather familiar feel.
However, it will be a slightly different story when Slot's first pre-season as Liverpool manager gets underway as he will be left without a plethora of senior stars.
That's because the European Championships and Copa America both take place in the summer. And with a plethora of Liverpool stars expected to be involved in the two international tournaments, only a handful of the Reds' first-team squad will actually report back to the AXA Training Centre for the start of pre-season training - which predominantly gets underway at the start of July.
The Euros get underway in Germany on June 14, with the final taking place one month later on July 14. While rather unlikely, the Reds could have as many as 11 of their current squad taking part in the tournament.
Alexander-Arnold is certain to be in the England squad if fit, while Gomez was recalled by Gareth Southgate during the March international break. The Three Lions boss confirmed that Jones could have been handed a maiden call-up too if not for an untimely injury, while Elliott perhaps has a slim chance of still breaking into the squad.
Liverpool currently have three representatives in the Netherlands squad, with Van Dijk set to captain the Dutch and Gakpo and Gravenberch also hopeful of call-ups. Konate, Jota and Szoboszlai should also be called up by France, Portugal, and Hungary respectively.
Elsewhere, Robertson will captain Scotland at the tournament, but a lack of game-time on loan at Bolton Wanderers and long-term injury look set to deny Calvin Ramsay and Ben Doak the opportunity to force their way into late consideration.
Meanwhile, the Copa America takes place between June 20 and July 14, with Alisson (Brazil), Diaz (Colombia), Nunez (Uruguay) and Mac Allister (Argentina) all certain to compete if fit.
The group stages for the two tournaments conclude on June 26 and July 2 respectively, with even an early exit resulting in a later return for pre-season in mid-July at the earliest. Deeper progression results in an ever later return, and the aforementioned players missing the bulk of preparations under Slot as a result.
Endo and Salah could technically also miss the start of pre-season, along with Tsimikas, Kelleher and Conor Bradley. While Japan, Egypt, Greece, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland won't compete in senior international tournaments this summer, they do still have fixtures to look forward to in June.
Japan face Myanmar and Syria in 2026 World Cup qualifiers on June 6 and June 11, while Egypt take on Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau in their own qualifiers on June 3 and June 10.
Meanwhile, Greece are due to play Germany in a friendly on June 7, Ireland have two friendlies scheduled against Hungary and Portugal on June 4 and June 11, and Northern Ireland face Spain on June 8.
As a result, when Slot reports for the start of pre-season, he is likely to be without the majority of his inherited first team squad. Should Alexander-Arnold and Gomez be the only Reds representative in the England squad, Liverpool would be left without 13 senior stars as they navigate the start of their new manager's reign.
Elliott and Jones should be amongst some of the first returnees, if not selected for the Euros, with the likes of Fabio Carvalho, Jarell Quansah, Stefan Bajcetic, Nat Phillips, Doak and Ramsay also due back at the start of the summer. Tyler Morton, Sepp van den Berg, Rhys Williams and Vitezslav Jaros could also form part of the new manager's very first squad, along with Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Kaide Gordon, Jayden Danns and a number of other highly-rated Academy starlets.
Any senior players who aren't called up for international action this summer will also report back to the AXA Training Centre at the start of the summer. But while Thiago, Matip, and Adrian would historically be part of such a group too, the trio are currently all out of contract and, if not offered new deals, will be moving on.
Salah, Endo, Tsimikas, Kelleher, and Bradley will then be next back near the start of the summer following brief international exploits, with the rest of Liverpool's internationals gradually returning following tournament exits and subsequent holiday time.
Admittedly, this summer's pre-season preparations could be complicated further by the 2024 Olympics in Paris, with the men's football tournament scheduled between July 24 and August 10. If any Liverpool players are called up, they will miss some of pre-season and could be a doubt for the start of the new Premier League campaign on August 17 as a result.
A 16-team tournament, 12 teams have currently qualified including hosts France, Argentina, Egypt and Spain. Consequently, it's possible that Bajcetic could be in line for potential call-ups, along with Mac Allister, Salah, and Konate as overage players, though Liverpool would have the power to block their involvement.
Meanwhile, Japan could qualify automatically if they finish at least third in the Under-23s Asian Cup. Finish fourth and they would qualify if they then won a play-off against Guinea. Consequently, Japan could still call upon Endo as an overage player.
Of course, scattered returns to pre-season is nothing new for Liverpool, given their vast number of international players. But with a brand new manager overseeing preparations for the first time since 2012, when Brendan Rodgers infamously first took charge of a mismatch of a squad littered with Academy youngsters and fringe players in front of the 'Being: Liverpool' television documentary cameras, it will further complicate Slot's introduction to the job.
Slot's potential first squad
Goalkeepers: Jaros, Ojrzynski, Mrozek, Davies.
Defenders: Ramsay, Chambers, Phillips, Scanlon, Mabaya, Beck, Nallo, Van den Berg, Quansah, Kometio.
Midfielders: Jones, Elliott, Clark, Bajcetic, McConnell, Morrison, Corness, Morton, Nyoni.
Forwards: Carvalho, Gordon, Doak, Kone-Doherty, Koumas, Danns, Blair, Cannonier.
Internationals (non-tournament)
Endo, Salah, Tsimikas, Kelleher, Bradley.
Internationals (Euros and Copa America)
Alisson, Gomez, Van Dijk, Konate, Diaz, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Mac Allister, Gakpo, Jota, Robertson, Gravenberch, Alexander-Arnold.