Liverpool's Summer Rebuild: Key Wingers Targeted
Liverpool’s summer rebuild is accelerating on the flanks, and the numbers attached to it are anything but small.
With Mohamed Salah heading for the exit as a free agent despite having a year left on his deal, Liverpool are preparing for life without the man who has defined their right wing for a generation. He may not be the only one leaving. Federico Chiesa has made it clear he wants out unless new head coach Andoni Iraola can guarantee him a bigger role, and Cody Gakpo is also firmly in the shop window.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Liverpool will listen to what have been described as “important proposals” for the Dutchman. Talk of Tottenham smashing their transfer record for Gakpo feels ambitious at best, but there is a more grounded scenario on the table: TEAMtalk report that Gakpo has been floated as a makeweight to RB Leipzig to drag down the price of Yan Diomande.
Diomande is the headline target. The 19-year-old Ivorian, seen inside Anfield as the long-term heir to those wide attacking berths, will not come cheap. The Athletic report that Leipzig now value him at over €130m (£112m), a figure that would test even Liverpool’s revamped recruitment model.
The fee has not scared them off. David Ornstein has detailed how Liverpool are currently in a stronger position than PSG when it comes to agreeing personal terms, with club-to-club talks already under way. The message is clear: Liverpool are serious.
But one winger, however gifted, will not be enough if Salah, Chiesa and potentially Gakpo all depart. That is where Francisco Trincao enters the frame.
Trincao back on the big-club radar
Liverpool’s interest in Trincao first surfaced in Portugal, with Correio da Manha revealing that the Sporting CP winger had moved high up the list of options at Anfield. Iraola’s arrival has not changed that stance. The same report stressed that the new manager has done nothing to cool the club’s pursuit of the 26-year-old.
It is not hard to see why. After a flat loan spell at Wolves in 2021/22 while on Barcelona’s books, Trincao returned to Portugal and rebuilt his reputation piece by piece. A loan to Sporting turned permanent in 2023, and his game has taken off in Lisbon.
Last season he delivered 13 goals and 18 assists in all competitions, a haul of 31 direct goal contributions that underlines both his productivity and his maturity in the final third. The left-footer’s influence has been recognised domestically too: he has been named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Season for two years running.
Now comes the next decision. Portuguese outlet Record report that Liverpool are currently the “closest” club to signing Trincao, with the plan built around triggering his €60m (£52m) release clause. Record go further, describing Liverpool as “top of the list” of likely suitors to make a concrete move this summer.
Put simply, Liverpool are lining up a double swoop. Diomande as the marquee, future-defining wide forward. Trincao as the ready-made, prime-age addition with end product already proven at a high level.
The price tags are heavy, the churn in the attacking department even heavier. But with Salah going, Chiesa agitating and Gakpo potentially used as leverage, Liverpool’s next era out wide will not be built on half-measures.
