Arne Slot's stance on 8 players leaving Liverpool once Hugo Ekitike transfer is completed
Liverpool are acclimatising in Asia ahead of their first pre-season friendly against AC Milan on Saturday while their latest sensational transfer nears completion as Hugo Ekitike jets into London for a medical ahead of a £79m move.
That will take their summer spend to date to almost the £300m mark as the Anfield club look to build a squad capable of retaining the Premier League title but it also means Arne Slot is now expected to bid farewell to a number of players before the campaign gets underway.
Luiz Diaz's future remains perhaps most intriguing. Bayern Munich have already a bid of about £60m rejected and the Colombia forward would like to explore an opportunity elsewhere.
And while Liverpool 's stance is that he is not for sale, with Diaz continuing to train with the first team as normal, they are bracing for an improved bid from the Bundesliga champions.
The club are open to offers for misfit Darwin Nunez, however, after two seasons in which he failed to live up to his £85m fee.
Atletico Madrid appear to have quietened their interest with Liverpool keen to hold out for £70m but there remains the potential of a big money switch to Saudi Arabia for the Uruguay international
England Under-21 midfielder Harvey Elliott, who won player of the tournament at last month's Euros, is another who could depart if the right offer is made having found it difficult to earn sustained minutes last season.
He spoke candidly during the title winning campaign for his desire to play more often and had asked Slot what he needed to do to get a greater look in.
And, according to a report from the Athletic, several other youngsters could be playing elsewhere this season.
They say defensive midfielder Tyler Morton, 22, has interest from Premier League sides, while Ben Doak, Luca Stephenson and James McConnell could all be in line for season-long loan moves.
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