Liverpool’s player sales may extend into the January transfer window, as Jurgen Klopp considers three first-team players surplus to requirements.
Jurgen Klopp is apparently contemplating a squad shake-up at Liverpool, with at least three first-team players set to depart as part of a January clearout at Anfield. The Reds parted ways with six players over the summer, but the firesale may not be done as Klopp looks to replenish his squad after a difficult season.
Sadio Mane headlined Liverpool’s summer departures, joined by Neco Williams, Takumi Minamino, Marko Grujic, Ben Davies, and Divock Origi out the exit door. And now a trio with 278 Liverpool appearances between them could be primed to follow suit at the next possible opportunity.
According to Calciomercato, Liverpool has put three players on the transfer market ahead of the winter transfer window. Klopp is willing to offload center-back Nat Phillips and midfield duo Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to refresh his squad and clear space on the wage bill.
Phillips is Klopp’s fifth-choice center-back behind Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, and Joe Gomez. Meanwhile, Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain can’t shake injury issues that have plagued their stints on Merseyside, with hamstring problems limiting their involvement this season.
It is no surprise that all three have been deemed surplus to requirements. Phillips’ only appearance this term came in the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace in the second week of the Premier League campaign. Oxlade-Chamberlain has just 14 minutes under his belt after coming on in the 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest.
And Keita’s only appearance came in the final five minutes of Liverpool’s Community Shield victory against Manchester City, suffering his latest lengthy lay-off shortly after. The 27-year-old has considerably underwhelmed since joining from RB Leipzig in a £48million deal in 2018 and, despite the club’s track record of sanctioning impressive player sales, will likely leave Anfield for a cut-price fee.
If Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita leave before next season, Klopp will be left with Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Harvey Elliott, Fabio Carvalho, and Curtis Jones as his choices. However, the German manager’s ambition to sign a marquee midfielder is well-known.
Liverpool attempted to bolster their squad this summer, chasing AS Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni before he chose a dream move to Real Madrid. They are still in the running for Borussia Dortmund sensation Jude Bellingham, who is set to clinch a big-money move at the end of the season.
