Liverpool have £50m transfer problem as Jurgen Klopp begins summer planning

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp discusses title race

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Liverpool face West Ham in what promises to be a crucial match in the Premier League today – but the two clubs’ fates could also be linked off the pitch. While Jurgen Klopp’s primary focus is always on achieving results, he has also got half an eye on the summer, when Liverpool will jump into a crucial transfer window.

The Reds enjoyed a fruitful January, with the signing of Luis Diaz from Porto for an initial fee of £37.5million already paying off.

But there is every indication that they might dip back into the transfer market at the end of the season to bolster their attack once more.

That is because Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are all currently only under contract until June 2023.

It is not a new situation but it will need addressing at the end of the season. Klopp recently outlined his position on contracts when asked about Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – another player with the same contract expiry date.

“I think it is a completely normal situation,” he said.

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“It is about what makes sense for both sides in six or 18 months or whatever. But it is not important at all at the moment. In this moment what is important is how do you contribute when you play? That is the only thing.

“We will not stay together for ever. That is how it is. If someone wants to go somewhere else we have to find a solution for it. If we want to find somebody from another club we have to find a solution for it – all these kind of things.

“But it has nothing to do with now. It’s about how you play in the moment and then you are in the starting lineup.

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“If your contract expires in two days, four months or five years it makes absolutely no difference. All the players are important because they can really contribute in the moment when they start or when they come on and that is why they are Liverpool players.”

All of what he says is true, but action will be needed this summer, either to tie the club’s current attacking trio down to new contracts, or to recruit new players.

One of those on their horizon is a player very familiar to Saturday’s opponents, West Ham.

Darwin Nunez has caught the eye by banging in 23 goals in 27 appearances for Benfica across the Portuguese top flight and Champions League so far this season.

The 22-year-old striker is one of the most exciting young players in Europe and the immediate impact of Diaz after a transfer from a Portuguese club certainly bolsters his credibility.

Premier League interest in Nunez is nothing new, with West Ham trying hard in January to sign the Uruguay international.

According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, via Sport Witness, the Hammers went as far as to offer an initial fee of £37m (€45m) plus a further £12m (€15m) in add-ons, only to be rejected by Benfica.

Benfica reportedly value Nunez at a minimum of between £50m (€60m) and £58m (€70m). That is undoubtedly a lot of money, but a fee they might receive if he keeps scoring goals and Salah, Mane and Firmino keep running down their contracts.

All is rosy for Liverpool at the moment. They come into Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off on the back of 11 successive victories in all competitions. They have only lost once since the 3-2 defeat by the Hammers on November 7.

Klopp’s side have won the Carabao Cup and are still on course for a potential quadruple, with a 2-0 lead going into the Champions League second leg against Inter Milan in the last-16 on Tuesday and a tie against Nottingham Forest or Huddersfield awaiting them in the quarter finals of the FA Cup.

Win against West Ham and the Premier League title race remains alive, albeit still in Man City’s hands.

But all of their current success just makes their decisions in the summer more important. Nunez may be expensive, but he could still prove a shrewd move amid the uncertainty surrounding the club’s current stars.

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