Liverpool stand on the brink of a pivotal summer, no matter how the run-in plays out or where they land in the Champions League race.
Arne Slot walks into a club juggling two demanding realities at once: the need to squeeze every last point out of the final stretch, and the need to reshape a squad about to lose one of its greatest ever forwards and possibly a cornerstone of its defence.
Salah going, Konaté thinking, recruitment looming
The first hard fact is already baked in. Mohamed Salah will not be at Anfield beyond this summer. That alone changes the temperature of any transfer window. Goals, aura, a decade-defining presence on the right – all gone in one swing.
Then there is Ibrahima Konaté. The France international has yet to decide his future, leaving Liverpool’s planning department working through scenarios. If he opts to move on, at least one new centre-back becomes non-negotiable. Slot will not want to start his tenure short in the most unforgiving area of the pitch.
Midfield, too, is back under the microscope. A Serie A standout has been linked as a possible target if Liverpool choose to strengthen in the middle of the park, a reminder that the overhaul which began last year is not yet complete. The spine of the team is being reimagined on the fly.
All of this unfolds while Liverpool still have trophies to chase.
City, the FA Cup and the run-in
Slot and his squad return to competitive action this weekend in the FA Cup quarter-finals, and there is no gentle reintroduction. Manchester City, last season’s beaten finalists, stand in the way.
It is the kind of tie that can define a month. Beat City and Liverpool take a surge of belief into the final seven league games. Lose, and the pressure to salvage the season through the league alone sharpens. Momentum at this stage is not a cliché; it is currency.
The stakes are obvious. Champions League qualification remains the target, not only for prestige and finances, but for the calibre of player Liverpool hope to attract when the market opens. The recruitment plans do not vanish if they miss out, but the landscape changes.
Thuram on the radar – and not just Liverpool’s
One name refuses to drift far from the conversation. Khephren Thuram, the Juventus midfielder and son of France legend Lilian Thuram, has drawn serious attention from England after his performances in Serie A.
Liverpool are tracking him, but they are not alone. Manchester United and Newcastle United are also positioned to move, according to reports in Italy, with all three clubs described as ready for “serious” interest in the 25-year-old.
Juventus picked him up from Nice in 2024 for under £20 million. That price is already a relic. If he leaves Turin this summer, the fee is expected to be far higher, and the battle for his signature sharper.
The need is clear across the board. United are braced for midfield change after Casemiro confirmed he will leave. Newcastle could also be forced into a reshuffle, especially if they miss out on European football and have to reconsider Sandro Tonali’s role and replacement options.
For Liverpool, the variables are different but no less pressing. Slot must decide what profile he wants alongside his existing options, and whether Thuram fits the next iteration of a Liverpool midfield that has already undergone one major surgery.
Van Dijk under fire – and fiercely defended
While transfer rumours swirl, one Liverpool figure has dominated headlines for a different reason. Virgil van Dijk, the captain and defensive leader, has found himself at the centre of a familiar storm.
His form has been dissected as Liverpool’s title defence has faded, a jarring contrast to last season when he led the club to Premier League success. The narrative has swung wildly, and in the Netherlands, one prominent voice has had enough.
Dutch pundit Hans Kraay Jr launched a fierce defence of Van Dijk in Voetbal International, accusing British media of veering between extremes.
“In England, the analysts, columnists, and the self-proclaimed know-it-alls have completely lost their minds,” he wrote. After four league matches this season, he noted, Van Dijk was hailed as the best central defender the Premier League had ever seen. Four games and two defeats under Slot later, he argued, some were talking as if Van Dijk’s career was “almost over.”
The reality is more measured. Van Dijk, now 34, remains central for club and country. During the recent international break he started both of the Netherlands’ fixtures, scoring in a win over Norway and then playing the first half against Ecuador before making way for Micky van de Ven.
He returns to Liverpool with minutes in his legs, a goal to his name and, once again, a point to prove to those who have written him off too quickly.
A club at a crossroads
So Liverpool move into the decisive weeks of the season with a captain under scrutiny, a superstar on his way out, a key defender weighing his options and a coveted Serie A midfielder on the radar.
The FA Cup tie against Manchester City will say plenty about their present. The transfer window will say even more about their future.
Which version of Liverpool will emerge on the other side of this summer – and who will be on the pitch when Anfield rises to find out?
