SUMMER SIMULATION: LIVERPOOL TIPPED TO SPEND £138M AS ARNE SLOT TARGETS FOUR MAJOR SIGNINGS
Liverpool's summer plans revealed! Discover the £138M simulation featuring Lee Kang-In, Hector Fort, and Salah’s shock decision.
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Liverpool has a fascinating summer ahead, at least if you’re willing to trust Football Manager’s predictions.
Last year, they spent big. Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez are huge names with huge fees. The idea was to lock in a new era at the top of the Premier League. Honestly, it hasn’t panned out yet.
Now Arne Slot’s second season is slipping away from the title race, and Liverpool looks like they’re back at square one. With Arsenal and Manchester City pulling ahead, it’s easy to imagine another busy summer at Anfield. But where do they even start? And who’s actually on their shopping list?
Curiosity got the better of us, so we fired up Football Manager 2026 to see what the data gods think. According to the game, Liverpool will spend around £138 million in the coming window. That’s a lot, but who are they bringing in, and who’s heading for the exit?
Football Manager thinks Liverpool is going shopping in Paris and Barcelona.
So, here’s how the simulated summer went: Liverpool brought in four new faces. Three of them cost a fair chunk, but nothing quite as jaw-dropping as last year’s signings.
First up, PSG’s Lee Kang-In arrives for £38 million. He’s quick and technical and can play on either wing – a pretty believable move, given all the rumours about his future in Paris.
Then, for the midfield, Liverpool turned to Feyenoord’s Quentin Timber. He’s got Premier League blood; his brother Jurriën plays for Arsenal, and he joins on loan with a £49 million purchase clause. To be honest, that’s steep for Timber, but Football Manager isn’t always in sync with real-life transfer values.
Defence gets some attention too: Barcelona’s Héctor Fort, only 20, joins for £42 million. He’s a versatile full-back who can cover both sides or even slot into the middle. Right now, he’s more of a squad option than a guaranteed starter, but there’s a lot of upside there.
Finally, there’s a wildcard: Álvaro Montoro from Botafogo, a young Argentine forward. He costs £9 million and looks like a classic “one for the future” signing—numbers look good, and at that price, he might turn out to be a steal.
But who’s leaving? Let’s break it down.
No massive exits at least, according to the simulation
Here’s the surprising part: none of Liverpool’s biggest names pack their bags. Mohamed Salah stays put, turning down those endless Saudi links. Andrew Robertson signs a new deal, and Ibrahima Konaté does the same. How realistic is that? Time will tell soon enough.
That explains why Liverpool’s spending feels a bit more low-key this time. They’re patching holes, not rebuilding from scratch. Still, a few players do head out.
Wataru Endo moves to Inter Milan for £5.5 million and slots right into their midfield. Owen Beck goes to West Ham on a loan with a buy option just under £7 million. Stefan Bajčetić, who’s had awful luck with injuries, heads to Middlesbrough on loan. And Lewis Koumas, still just 18, takes an unexpected detour to APOEL in Cyprus, also on loan.
So, all in all, it’s a pretty cautious window. Honestly, it’d be a shock if Salah, Konaté, and Robertson all stick around for another year, but maybe Liverpool just need time to let this group settle, rather than tearing things up again. We’ll see soon enough.
IBRAHIMA KONATé NEARS OFFICIAL LONG-TERM CONTRACT EXTENSION, SECURING FUTURE AT LIVERPOOL
Ibrahima Konaté confirms he is close to signing a new Liverpool contract, securing his future amid a major squad overhaul.
Ibrahima Konaté is set to sign a new long-term deal with Liverpool, finally putting all the rumours about his future to rest.
His contract was up this summer, and people kept linking him to clubs like Real Madrid. But after Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Everton on Sunday, Konate made it clear he never planned to leave. He’s become a regular since joining from RB Leipzig, and he told reporters negotiations with the club have been going on for a while. Now, the agreement’s almost done.
“We’ve been talking with the club for a long time,” Konate said, according to the Liverpool Echo. “We’re close. Honestly, I think everyone wanted this, and we’re nearly there. There’s a good chance I’ll be here next season; that’s what I always wanted.”
He’s just waiting for the paperwork to go through, but once it’s official, he’s sure sporting director Richard Hughes will be happy to share what Konate told him months ago.
“It’s taken a while, yeah, but that’s how negotiations go,” he added. “Just like with Van Dijk and Mo Salah last season, they signed in April. Maybe this is just how the club handles these things.”
Liverpool is set for a big summer change. Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson are both expected to leave after nearly a decade, and van Dijk is now in the last year of his contract as he approaches 35. Naturally, there's a lot of talk about who steps up as leader in the dressing room next.
The club has already lined up some fresh faces. Jeremy Jacquet, the £60 million centre-back from Rennes, is on his way, and promising defender Giovanni Leoni is working his way back from an ACL injury he picked up last September.
Konate turns 27 next month, and he’s ready to step up and help lead the club into a new era. “I already act as a leader for the younger guys, for my own generation, everyone, really,” he said. “That’s just part of football. The legends move on, and then it’s our turn. I’ve been preparing for this for years, and especially over the last few months.”
“It’s a big responsibility, though. I can’t do it all alone. I’ll need everyone’s help.”
He also mentioned once more that he hopes people go and hear Richard Hughes’s side of the contract talks, saying, “Just wait till it’s all sorted, then ask him what I told him months ago before all the noise started.”
It’s been a tough season for Konate. Liverpool’s form has been erratic; they’ve lost 17 games in all competitions, including 10 in the league. Off the field, things have been even harder; Konate lost his father in January. He admits the last few months have been rough both personally and on the pitch. Still, he’s keeping positive and looking forward to what’s next, for himself and for Liverpool.
MAMARDASHVILI STRETCHERED OFF: LIVERPOOL TURN TO THIRD-CHOICE WOODMAN FOR DERBY GLORY
Liverpool wins 2-1 at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Arne Slot praises debutant Woodman after Mamardashvili injury.
Arne Slot shared that Giorgi Mamardashvili had to be taken to the hospital after suffering an injury, which unexpectedly handed Freddie Woodman his debut in the Merseyside derby for Liverpool.
Mamardashvili left the pitch on a stretcher following extensive treatment for a leg wound caused during Everton’s equaliser by Beto, while Mohamed Salah had opened the scoring earlier at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Stepping in once more for the hampered Alisson Becker, Mamardashvili was replaced by Woodman, who managed to keep a clean sheet as Liverpool clinched a dramatic victory thanks to Virgil van Dijk’s injury-time header in the 248th derby.
With both Alisson's and Mamardashvili’s recoveries uncertain, it looks like Woodman could be gearing up for his first Premier League start at home against Crystal Palace on Saturday, the same team against which he made his Liverpool debut in the League Cup defeat last October.
Slot commented, “Giorgi had to go to the hospital with a big wound, so we’ll have to wait and see how he’s doing.
“But Freddie deserves a lot of credit. Coming in just after conceding the equaliser, when the crowd was already expecting an Everton goal, he really stepped up.
“He stayed composed at a tricky moment, when he hesitated about whether to catch the ball, but kept his nerves steady.
“Freddie’s worked hard for this chance. Usually third-choice goalkeepers don’t get many opportunities, but given how this season has unfolded, anyone playing even in the under-8s at Liverpool should be ready to make their debut; it’s quite something to witness.”
Liverpool had already been without Hugo Ekitike and Joe Gomez, who played against Paris Saint-Germain last Tuesday. Slot named only eight players on the bench for the Everton match, including academy goalkeeper Armin Pecsi.
He added, “Is there anything surprising about the injury situation this season? Maybe not, since I had two goalkeepers on the bench today, which isn't typical. But of course, it’s related to the availability of other positions as well.
“Freddie did a great job.”
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