FSG have been unusually trigger-happy in the summer transfer market, but Liverpool’s owners are actually just conducting themselves with well-considered ambition.
This is no scattergun spending approach from the Reds, who won the Premier League last season after spending virtually nothing after Jurgen Klopp closed his illustrious chapter at Anfield.
Arne Slot rewarded this city for their patience and acceptance by winning the club their record-equalling 20th league title, and now he has been repaid with sweeping changes across the summer, setting up the foundations of a sustained period of success.
However, while there have been some incredible signings, and while the Anfield side still chase Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, several stars have ventured away for new challenges.
Luis Diaz is one such player.
Why Liverpool sold Luis Diaz
Though Diaz’s Liverpool career has its ebbs and flows, there’s no denying his electric-paced, mazy-dribbling game added much to Klopp and then Slot’s projects.
But the 28-year-old has signed for Bayern Munich for £65.5m this summer despite having two years left on his contract. Common ground could not be found between Liverpool and the Colombian, and so he goes for pastures new.
The fact Liverpool attempted to extend Diaz’s contract highlights the desire to keep him on board, but terms could not be agreed upon.
There’s been a lot of change at Liverpool this summer, and the South American’s stability and consistency could have been a real helper as Slot looks to repeat a trick.
Alas, he’s been sold, but FSG cannot allow the same to happen with Ibrahima Konate, whose footballing future is very much uncertain.
Liverpool must keep Ibrahima Konate
Liverpool signed Konate from RB Leipzig four years ago, in May 2021, paying his £36m release clause to reel him over to Merseyside.
Injuries have been a common and frustrating theme for the Frenchman through his Premier League career, but there’s no question that he’s from the top drawer, hailed by analyst Josh Williams as a “monster at covering ground and dealing with one vs one situations.”
How curious that Konate’s most fruitful season in the Premier League should align with Liverpool’s one title triumph across his time in England.
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And now, aged 26, the France international is approaching the prime of his career at a time when Virgil van Dijk stands on the autumn of his own period at the top.
He’s now featured 132 times for Liverpool, and the recent season of relatively few injury blows bespeak his athletic maturity, something that Slot has managed to raise across the board.
Having entered the final year of his £70k-per-week contract, alarm bells are surely ringing in the FSG offices, especially when the likes of Fabrizio Romano reported way back in October 2024 that negotiations over a renewal were going smoothly.
Things are uncertain at present. This wasn’t supposed to be the case. What has caused such drastic change in the intervening period? Real Madrid, of course, who want to link him back up with Trent Alexander-Arnold as the Xabi Alonso era shapes up.
According to Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Florentino Perez hopes to emulate his club’s deal for Trent by landing Konate on a free transfer in 2026, but a fast-track of plans isn’t out of the question, with Liverpool said to be open to cashing in this summer for a €55m (about £47m) fee.
This cannot come to pass. In fact, Liverpool would find that they would suffer a bigger blow than losing Diaz, were they to part with Konate now.
Though the imposing Frenchman is partnered with Van Dijk, the skipper won’t be around forever, and Liverpool’s decision to have sold Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for £35m earlier in the window only highlights the desperate need for change.
Marc Guehi is wanted on Merseyside, actually in his final year at Crystal Palace. The England international is in a similar boat to Konate, but there’s surely a future at Liverpool where the two centre-backs cohabit, for there is a dearth of depth at the rearguard in Slot’s team despite the heavy spending over the past few months.
There’s also no telling whether Guehi would manage to rise to the occasion and play with the steely gusto of Konate, who completed 90% of his passes and won 71% of his aerial battles in the Premier League last year, as per Sofascore.
Given that the 6 foot Guehi’s aerial dominance is a weakness, replacing Konate with him ahead of Van Dijk’s swansong might be to the detriment of Liverpool’s aerial strength (Guehi won just 54% of his aerial battles last season).
Liverpool’s second-best central defender has been a terrific servant, and when considering that he earns comparatively little at £70k per week, it’s understandable that he should be expecting to be paid his dues, especially when Van Dijk pockets way more at £400k per week.
Ultimately, Liverpool know that they need to throw the kitchen sink at getting the Les Bleus talent’s new deal over the line, for losing him could be a blow that rocks the boat too hard, unlike that of Diaz, with the overload of attacking signings likely to offset his departure.
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ByAngus Sinclair