Liverpool’s Summer Transfer Targets: Wharton, Barcola, and More

Liverpool’s summer debate is starting long before the window heats up. The names are already on the table, the opinions even louder.

MacAnthony’s big Wharton call

Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony, a lifelong Liverpool supporter, has nailed his colours to one target in particular: Adam Wharton.

"I'd love them to sign Wharton," he told talkSPORT. MacAnthony did not stop there. He openly questioned whether Alexis Mac Allister can still anchor Liverpool’s midfield over a long, gruelling season.

"I think Alexis Mac Allister, for me, his legs were gone last year. It was only when he put an Argentina shirt on that his legs reappeared.

"If you could do business there with him going, I think you bring [Wharton] in and you’ve got a player for the next seven, eight years that will be a starter.

“He’s got so much upside and potential in him. Even if he costs £85M-£100M or whatever else, you’re getting the player for the long-term."

That is a bold valuation and an even bolder suggestion: cash in on a World Cup winner to build the next Liverpool midfield around a 20-year-old Crystal Palace star.

Barcola, Salah and the search for goals

Out wide, the conversation turns to life after Mohamed Salah. Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith believes Bradley Barcola could be one part of the answer.

"He's played on the left for PSG," Smith said. "He can play on the right, so it's not as if you would earmark him as a like-for-like replacement for Mohamed Salah.

"But it looks like he's going to move if PSG can accept a fee. It seems to be between Liverpool and Arsenal. He's a talented player; we saw that in the World Cup. He'd be a great signing for Liverpool."

Speaking to Liverpool.com on behalf of Best Betting Sites, Smith underlined the scale of the task if Salah does depart.

"With Salah going, a like-for-like replacement in terms of goal output is a priority.

"But the thing is, with Alexander Isak back fit, Hugo Ekitike is going to be out for a few months, but Isak got himself a goal the other day in pre-season, so he's well capable of getting 20 plus league goals.

"So that might be an answer for them with Salah going. And Florian Wirtz, second season, he can chip in, get well into double figures. But I'd still think that they'll be after a striker or an attacking player."

The message is clear: even with creativity and goals spread around, Liverpool will still need a heavyweight attacking addition if Salah’s era ends.

Trent, Dumfries and Mourinho’s puzzle

At the back, another storyline is brewing. With Denzel Dumfries now at Real Madrid, Trent Alexander-Arnold faces fierce competition for the tag of Europe’s standout right-back, and perhaps for his own club role too.

Reports in Spain have suggested Jose Mourinho could shift Alexander-Arnold into midfield, a move long discussed but never fully committed to. The problem? Liverpool’s squad is already stacked with players who can operate there.

Speculation or not, one point cuts through the noise: he is too good to leave on the fringes. Wherever Mourinho decides to use him, there will be minutes, responsibility and scrutiny.

Gerrard and the Van Dijk phone call

Steven Gerrard has lifted the lid on a pivotal phone call from 2017, when Virgil van Dijk stood at a crossroads between Liverpool and Manchester City.

"He phoned me at the time, actually," Gerrard revealed. "I knew his agent really well. It was City, Liverpool.

"He said to me, ‘I haven’t phoned you to sort of push me one way or the other, because I know which way you’re going to push me. But just tell me a little bit about Liverpool?

"I just said to him, ‘Look, if it’s about what the clubs stand for and what the clubs are about, you’re wasting your time because I think you already know the answer to that.'

"It was an interesting conversation and I was so happy that he chose us."

That decision reshaped Liverpool’s modern history. The fact Gerrard still talks about it with a smile tells its own story.

A Gerrard-type from Napoli?

Another former Manchester United coach has thrown a surprising name into Liverpool’s midfield mix. Rene Meulensteen believes Scott McTominay, now at Napoli, fits the bill.

"McTominay has Gerrard-esque qualities and would suit Liverpool, he's one of those midfielders that can get you goals, now how many of those midfielders are around today?" he told Tipman Tips.

"He brings physicality, energy, drive, braveness, courage, goals, and makes good box runs.

"I've been very impressed with him since he left United because that could have easily been the start of his career fizzling out. But with Scott it’s the total opposite, he has bloomed and come to life."

Wharton, McTominay, the reshaping of Liverpool’s engine room – it all points to a summer where the midfield, again, sits at the heart of the rebuild.

Quiet Como test, earlier than planned

On the pitch, Liverpool’s next assignment will play out in near silence. Their behind-closed-doors clash with Como this weekend has been moved forward by 30 minutes and will now kick off at 11.30am (UK time), instead of midday.

The later friendly, staged in front of supporters, stays at 6pm (UK time). No fans will be allowed into the first game, but the club will stream it through its official channels.

In a summer full of noise about transfers, roles and replacements, that quiet morning run-out might give the clearest clues yet about what Liverpool really intend to build.