Liverpool’s Transfer Plans: Iraola Eyes Wingers, Midfield Depth, and Right-Back Specialist

Andoni Iraola is not hiding behind platitudes. He knows Liverpool are light, and he knows the clock is ticking.

The Liverpool head coach has made it clear that new faces will arrive before the summer window slams shut. The question now is not if they sign, but where he chooses to strengthen first.

Wide Areas Top the List

The wings are screaming for attention.

Left and right. Both sides. Both short.

Liverpool are deep in talks with PSG over Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye, two names that have quickly become central to the club’s late-window plans. Barcola offers directness and creativity, Mbaye brings pace and penetration – the kind of wide threats Iraola’s aggressive, front-foot football demands.

Reports have also linked Liverpool with Yankuba Minteh, with a £50 million bid said to have been turned down. The move has raised eyebrows, not just for the fee, but for the timing. There is a sense this pursuit may be as much about leverage as it is about Minteh himself, a way of nudging PSG on their valuation of Mbaye.

Either way, the message is clear: Liverpool want wingers, and they want them now.

Midfield: Numbers and Nerve

Then comes the engine room.

Curtis Jones is on his way to Inter Milan, a departure that doesn’t just take away a homegrown option, but also strips depth from a midfield already facing a brutal schedule across domestic and European fronts.

Even before Jones’ move, there was a nagging feeling that Iraola needed one more midfielder to cope with the volume of games ahead. If Jones goes, that need turns into a necessity. One extra body becomes non-negotiable.

Adam Wharton is the dream name. The Crystal Palace midfielder has impressed to the point that his price has soared to around £100 million. That figure makes any deal highly unlikely, but it underlines the profile Liverpool are chasing: young, technically secure, and able to handle the tempo and physicality of Iraola’s system.

The Right-Back Debate

Right-back is a quieter conversation, but it hasn’t gone away.

Ronald Araujo can cover there and do a solid job. He’s shown he can step wide and still maintain a high level. But cover is not the same as a long-term solution, and many around the club – and plenty of fans – would rather see a specialist signed for that role.

That’s where Hector Fort comes into the picture. The 20-year-old has emerged as a serious loan option, and his profile has impressed those who have dug into his game since Liverpool were first linked. He offers energy, defensive awareness and the kind of modern full-back versatility that fits Iraola’s high-intensity blueprint.

Araujo as an option. Fort as the specialist. That balance would change the feel of Liverpool’s back line.

Iraola: “We Will Definitely Sign Some Players”

Speaking to Sky Sports in an exclusive interview, Iraola didn’t dodge the issue when Jamie Carragher pressed him on whether more signings were coming.

“We will definitely sign some players,” the Spaniard said. “Some deals you have to wait until the end. But the end is the important picture, the one we will have on September 1. Because it is true that we are still quite thin.”

Thin. It’s an honest word, and it sums up Liverpool’s situation neatly.

What Would a Strong Finish to the Window Look Like?

If Iraola could hand-pick his late-window haul, it would start with Barcola and Mbaye. Both are high on the list, both fit obvious needs. But landing only the PSG pair would still leave Liverpool short of the depth and quality required to attack the 2026/27 Premier League season with real conviction.

Layer on top a midfielder of Wharton’s profile and a specialist right-back like Fort, and the picture changes dramatically. Four signings. Four clear upgrades in key zones.

• Barcola and Mbaye to stretch defences.
• A Wharton-type midfielder to steady and drive the middle of the pitch.
• Fort to lock down the right flank.

Those moves would not just pad out the squad. They would reshape it, giving Iraola the tools to play his way from August to May.

Now it’s a race against the deadline. Will Liverpool’s ambition in the market match the urgency of their manager’s words?