Liverpool have made a ‘U-turn’ over whether to let key players leave in 2026 amid growing interest from European clubs, according to reports.
Liverpool have had a busy few months after winning their 20th Premier League title, spending more than £400m on major renovations over the summer.
Liverpool broke the British transfer record for the second time with the signings of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, and head coach Arn Slott was given license to build his own squad in the summer. They also invested heavily in acquiring Hugo Ekitike, Jeremy Frimpong and Milos Kerkes.
Liverpool have been in crisis in recent months, but these signings fill the void left by Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott and Jarrell Quansah.
Liverpool lost six of seven games in all competitions and fell from the top of the Premier League, but they bounced back at the weekend and defeated Aston Villa 2-0. This leaves the Reds in third place in the standings after 10 games.
Read: One key Liverpool figure will feature in this season’s Premier League round 11
Liverpool will be hoping to build on this result, with a test run ahead of the international break as they face Real Madrid in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday and Man City in the Premier League on Sunday.
Liverpool’s summer signing struggles have contributed to their woes this season, with Kerkes also one of their weaknesses.
Kelkes was signed as a long-term replacement for Andy Robertson but has been sidelined in recent days, with the Scotland international replacing him in Liverpool’s starting XI.
Speculation has grown that the former Bournemouth star’s move to Liverpool could be linked to Robertson’s departure, with Atletico Madrid heavily linked with a move for the experienced defender in the summer.
More Liverpool coverage on F365…
👉 Romano reveals the truth about Slot’s sacking at Liverpool amid ‘dressing room’ claims. Manager Klopp excluded
👉 Arsenal lose, United beat Spurs, City beat Liverpool: 5 things to ease the worst break in history
👉 I expected Arsenal to be top, Wolves to be bottom, Liverpool to be crap, and the inevitable to happen.
Robertson is set to become a free agent in 2026, but Football Insider reports that Liverpool have made a “U-turn” on his future as they “plan to extend his contract”.
Virgil van Dijk is another Liverpool player whose future has been in doubt over the past year, with the centre-back’s former contract due to expire at the end of last season.
Although he ultimately ended his exit negotiations by signing a new contract, Spanish media outlet “Diario AS” claims that his “unfulfilled” transfer “dream” was to move to Real Madrid, as he had been lobbying for a move to the La Liga giants before extending his contract with Liverpool.
Former Premier League chief scout Mick Brown said of Robertson: “Robertson is still an important player for Liverpool. When they’re playing well, it’s easy to talk about Mohamed Salah and other attacking players who always make headlines.”
“But Robertson has been a big part of Liverpool’s success over the years since he joined, and last season as well.
“I can understand why they decided to sign Kelkes, because he was a great player for Bournemouth. He was seen as a long-term replacement for Robertson in terms of time, but it looked like they threw him in a bit too hastily and left Robertson out.”
“Now he has struggled a little bit, but Robertson is back in the team and has shown once again that despite his recent struggles, he can be a reliable option for them. He has coped well with the team’s drop in form and that is a credit to him and Liverpool will definitely be taking note of how important he is in that team.”
“In terms of his contract, I would be very surprised if they were going to let him leave now. He has shown once again how important he is here. Even if he leaves slowly and gradually and is replaced by Kerkes, they would want to do it over a few seasons rather than immediately.”
