Liverpool's Summer Transfer Dilemma: Gakpo and Departures Looming

The clock is still ticking on Liverpool’s summer — and the biggest call of all might yet be to come.

According to Fabrizio Romano, a “mega” deal involving Cody Gakpo and Tottenham is not dead. Far from it. Despite suggestions the move had collapsed, Romano says the transfer remains a live possibility, with Liverpool already planning for a replacement if the Dutch forward goes.

For Richard Hughes, that ramps up the pressure.

A window slipping away

Tick. Tack. Tick. Tack. The window is closing in on Liverpool’s new sporting director, and the margin for error is shrinking fast.

He has already seen one major target slip away. Yan Diomande, widely viewed as the primary candidate to succeed Mo Salah in the long term, chose Real Madrid instead. That miss has left a mark, not just because of the player’s profile, but because it underlined the fragility of Liverpool’s planning in a pivotal summer.

Pre-season under Andoni Iraola has been encouraging in terms of performances and ideas. It has also been brutally honest. The Basque coach has had a clear look at what he has — and, crucially, what he doesn’t. The lack of depth has been exposed, and the need for reinforcements is no longer a talking point but an urgent requirement.

Yet the season is about to start, with a demanding opener at St James’ Park against Newcastle United, and Liverpool remain largely motionless in the market. No major arrivals. More questions than answers.

That cannot drag on.

Gaps everywhere, and more exits looming

Last season’s heavy investment reshaped the squad but left it lopsided. This summer was supposed to correct that imbalance and build a group tailored to Iraola’s demands. If Hughes leaves obvious holes unfilled, Liverpool risk another campaign of patchwork solutions and stretched resources.

Right now, the noise is not about who might come in. It is about who might go.

Ifeanyi Ndukwe, one of the standout performers in pre-season, is close to a loan move to Levante. Luke Chambers, another who caught the eye over the summer, is also being lined up for a loan exit.

Curtis Jones looks increasingly likely to leave as well. Inter Milan are keen, but there remains a gap between their valuation and Liverpool’s. Even so, the signs are not encouraging for those hoping he stays. His contract runs out next summer, Liverpool have not extended it, and his current situation points towards a parting of ways.

Losing Jones would not just be a technical or tactical issue. It would hit the homegrown quota hard.

Tyler Morton, Caoimhin Kelleher and Jarell Quansah all departed last summer. Take Jones out of the equation now and Liverpool are left with a worrying shortage of club-trained players. That is not a minor administrative headache. It shapes what Iraola can register and rely on over a long, gruelling season.

If those exits are not balanced quickly and intelligently, the new manager could be left with an even thinner squad than anticipated.

Gakpo and the looming Tottenham question

And then comes the Gakpo situation.

Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, made it clear that despite reports the proposed move to Tottenham was off, it remains “very much on.” Liverpool, he says, are already planning to replace the forward, which underlines how real the scenario is for all parties.

Gakpo did not hit his peak last season under Arne Slot. His campaign never fully caught fire in a Liverpool shirt. Even so, allowing a player of his profile to leave at this stage of the summer, with no major attacking arrival yet secured, would be a bold and risky move.

At this point in August, Liverpool should be adding quality and depth, not stripping it away.

The club cannot afford to drift through these final weeks. Hughes has to close gaps, protect the homegrown core, and decide whether he can really sanction a major sale like Gakpo’s without a clear, immediate upgrade.

The clock is still ticking. How Liverpool use the last of those seconds will define Iraola’s first season.