Liverpool's Transfer Dilemma: Salah's Void and Gakpo's Future
Liverpool’s clock is ticking. The window is down to its final week and the squad still looks a couple of bodies light for a team talking about trophies.
Anfield expected a shake-up under Andoni Iraola. It has come, but only halfway. Four first‑team players have gone. Three have arrived. None convincingly improve on what was lost. The picture feels unfinished, the puzzle missing its key pieces.
Supporters are clinging to the idea that the former Bournemouth manager will knit this together once the market dust settles. Right now, though, the market is the problem.
Salah void still unfilled
Mohamed Salah’s departure left a hole that should have dominated Liverpool’s summer planning. That vacancy remains glaring.
Sporting director Richard Hughes has known since early July that Yan Diomande would not be the man to fill it. That early setback throws the current situation into sharper focus: if the club had clarity then, why has the search for the “Egyptian King’s” successor dragged on so long?
Bradley Barcola has moved to the top of the list. He is the headline target, the one earmarked to reshape the forward line. But Paris Saint‑Germain’s asking price is huge, and that fee is a major reason talks have stalled. Until that stand‑off breaks, Liverpool’s attack stays in limbo.
The stalemate has opened the door to a carousel of alternative names. Each new link whips up a little more debate, a little more anxiety.
Mbaye interest and a crowded market
Ibrahim Mbaye is among those alternatives. At 18, already making waves in Paris, he has become a sought‑after prospect. Liverpool are far from alone in the chase; several clubs are circling, sensing long‑term value in a player who has barely started his senior journey.
That competition raised fears that Liverpool could once again be left watching a key target slip away. An update from Fabrizio Romano, though, has reportedly eased some of those concerns among the fanbase, hinting that the club’s position in the race might be stronger than first thought.
Even so, the bigger picture remains the same: Liverpool need firepower, and they need it quickly.
Gakpo uncertainty adds to the tension
As if that were not enough, the Cody Gakpo situation hangs over the final week.
Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are both hovering, ready to test Liverpool’s resolve. Losing Gakpo now would rip another thread from an already stretched attack and force Hughes into a frantic reshuffle with days to spare.
On Sunday, Gakpo was Liverpool’s standout forward, the one attacker who truly carried a threat. On that evidence, letting him go this late in the window would be a huge gamble.
Yes, Liverpool could still land both Mbaye and Barcola. On paper, that would look like a bold, exciting refresh. In reality, they would still be one senior attacker short, with Hugo Ekitike sidelined for an unknown period and no guarantee of when he will be ready to contribute.
That is the crux of it. The numbers do not add up.
If Hughes fails to reinforce the front line before the window slams shut, serious questions will follow about the strategy behind this rebuild. And that’s before anyone even contemplates Gakpo walking out the door.
