Liverpool transfer news recap - Saudis plot Salah bid, Klopp faces reality

Nunez warning sent

Jurgen Klopp has been warned that he risks having an unhappy player around if Darwin Nunez continues to be selected as a substitute.

Jurgen Klopp's approach with Robert Lewandowski bodes well for Darwin Nunez

“Of course, it takes time. He will be disappointed that he hasn’t been playing. Let me tell you those two finishes at the weekend were outstanding," Clinton Morrison told Premier League Productions.

"That was a reminder to Jurgen Klopp that he’s around. At the moment if you look at it he’s fifth-choice, and he probably wants to be first-choice."

Gravenberch deal questioned

Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino has revealed his doubts about Liverpool's decision to sign former Ajax star Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich.

"I’m always a bit suspicious of coming from the Ajax academy if I’m honest," Cascarino said on talkSPORT. "They produce fantastic technical players but I’ve seen the likes of Klaasen, Donny van de Beek.

"Technically brilliant, they can all do what they’re brought up doing at Ajax. Gravenberch, I don’t know. I hope I’m wrong. I was lucky enough to play against Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf.

"Technically brilliant, but they could look after themselves as well, physically. I don’t think the Netherlands is producing that type of player. The last one that stood out for me in that sense was Wijnaldum, at his best, for Liverpool."

KIRKBY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 01: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Ryan Gravenberch new signing of Liverpool at AXA Training Centre on September 01, 2023 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Liverpool tipped for top four

Former Premier League defender William Gallas has tipped Liverpool to qualify for the Champions League after Jurgen Klopp's side missed out on a top four spot last season.

He told Gambling Zone: "Last season they didn’t qualify and this season they don’t look strong either. It is not the Liverpool we have seen in the last four or five years. They are different.

"But they will qualify this year. That last game against Newcastle is going to push them a lot. I don’t think Newcastle will get into the top-four. I think it will be Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal.

"Fourth place will be between Chelsea, Tottenham or Man Utd. I don’t think they will have a chance to compete for the title, they are not strong enough to compete with City but they are strong enough to compete for the top four."

Celtic icon Frank McGarvey dies aged 66 as tributes paid to hero after cancer fight

(Getty Images)

Robertson cracks brutal joke to Gravenberch

Andy Robertson could not help but fire a playful dig at Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo after Ryan Gravenberch signed for Liverpool on Deadline Day.

The Reds confirmed the arrival of Gravenberch from Bayern Munich for £34million on Friday night. The Netherlands midfielder has signed a five-year deal at Anfield and becomes Jurgen Klopp's fourth and final summer arrival after Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Waturu Endo.

Upon his arrival to the club's training ground, Gravenberch was pictured meeting his new teammates. Liverpool's social media team filmed him being given a tour of the facilities, where he bumped into international colleagues Van Dijk and Gakpo, before greeting Robertson for the first time.

Read the full story here

Salah could be handed Ramos reunion

Should Al-Ittihad be able to persuade Liverpool to let Mo Salah leave, the Egyptian forward could find himself sharing a dressing room with rival Sergio Ramos. Ramos is currently without a club after leaving Paris Saint-Germain earlier this summer.

According to reports, Al-Ittihad are set to meet with Ramos and his representatives to try and persuade him to make the move to Saudi Arabia. It is claimed the defender had been set to join Galatasaray, but Al-Ittihad are attempting to 'change his mind with a new huge proposal'.

If both Salah and Ramos end up as team-mates in Saudi Arabia, it would certainly make for an interesting dynamic given the pair's history. During the 2018 Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, Salah was forced off early into the game after injuring his shoulder in a clash with Ramos.

Read more here

Gravenberch to miss Villa game

Despite joining Liverpool on Deadline Day, Ryan Gravenberch will not be able to make his debut against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Premier League rules state that players need to be registered by "12 noon on the last Working Day" before a game and Liverpool missed that deadline, meaning Gravenberch will have to wait until the Reds face Wolves on September 16 to make his debut.

(Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Bayern chief explains Gravenberch exit

Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen has explained the reasons behind Ryan Gravenberch's Deadline Day move to Liverpool.

“We’d like to give our heartfelt thanks to Ryan Gravenberch for the successful work together,” he told club media. “A team consists of more than just the starting XI, and Ryan played an important part in our title win.

“He came to us with the desire for more consistent playing time, so we decided on this transfer together with him. We wish him all the best for his future at Liverpool.”

(Getty Images)

'£200m might be the price for Salah'

Former Premier League striker Dion Dublin believes Liverpool will struggle to turn down an offer of £200m from Al-Ittihad for Mohamed Salah.

"Any club has a price for any player and I think £200m might be the price [for Salah]," Dublin said on Football Focus. "There might be four more players in that."

Al-Ittihad are still attempting to sign Liverpool's Mo Salah (Getty Images)

Merson suggests Salah replacement

Arsenal legend Paul Merson has suggested Liverpool should try and sign Bukayo Saka for £150m in January if they sell Mohamed Salah to Saudi club Al-Ittihad.

"Do they sell him for £200m and then in January see if they can get Saka from Arsenal for £150m?" Merson said on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday. "I'm thinking 'right, one person's 31, if I can get £200m, who's the next one in line? Who's the next one on the right-wing?'

"The next in line is definitely Saka, he's the best right winger about after Salah. If you were Liverpool, you're trading in someone who's a little bit older for someone who's younger. They'd go rock the boat with Arsenal say 'here's £150m for someone'."

(Sky Sports)

Salah "flirting" with Saudi move

Graeme Souness has insisted that Mohamed Salah is "flirting" with a move to the Saudi Pro League, despite Liverpool rejecting a £150million bid on deadline day.

Saudi champions Al-Ittihad have made the Reds star their top target in recent days and firmed up their interest to make a formal bid on Friday. Liverpool rejected that offer, though neither Salah nor his agent Ramy Abbas had publicly stated their desire for the future.

Now, with Ittihad preparing to return with a bumper £200m bid, Souness is concerned that Salah will leave. He highlighted the attacker's silence over recent weeks as hint that the attacker was considering joining the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jordan Henderson.

"Make no mistake, Salah is flirting with the Saudis. Neither he nor one of his representatives has come out and categorically said, 'We do not want to go to Saudi Arabia at this time'. If he wanted to stay, someone could have issued a statement to that effect," he told the Daily Mail.

Read the full story here

(Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Liverpool's transfer window rated

Liverpool have already lost three big names to the Saudi Pro League. However, the success or failure of the window may rest on whether or not they lose a fourth.

Roberto Firmino's move to Al-Ahli was no great surprise, but exits for Fabinho and Jordan Henerson were tougher to take. If Al-Ittihad succeed in landing Mohamed Salah, though, it changes everything.

Read the full story here

Gravenberch deal a record-breaker

Perhaps unnoticed in the whirlwind of deadline day transfers, but the arrival of Ryan Gravenberch will create a significant record at Anfield.

‌The 21-year-old's presence alongside fellow new signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai will create - at 22.3 years - the youngest midfield in Liverpool's history.

‌Add to that trio another three midfielders in Curtis Jones, 22, Harvey Elliott, 20, and the precocious 18-year-old talent of Stefan Bajcetic, and Jurgen Klopp boasts a frighteningly young group in an area of the pitch where experience is usually deemed as vital.

‌Yet if anyone knows about 'winning things with kids', to paraphrase the famous saying from Anfield legend Alan Hansen, it is Klopp. In his own words he is the "wrong person to ask" whether age is a barrier to winning trophies. For very good reason.

Read more here

(Getty Images)

Carragher's Gravenberch verdict

Jamie Carragher concedes he isn't sure Ryan Gravenberch is the midfielder Liverpool "needed" after he completed a deadline day move.

The Reds have chased the Bayern Munich man for much of the summer and finally signed him on deadline day for £34.2m. Gravenberch has only been in Germany a year following his switch from Ajax but found minutes hard to come by and he was looking for the exit door.

Liverpool have overseen a huge midfield overhaul with a host of stalwarts all leaving Anfield. Their shortcomings were exposed in the early games of the season with Wataru Endo recently coming in as a midfield anchor and Carragher isn't convinced Gravenberch was the type of player they required.

Read the full story here

(Sky Sports)

Souness warning

Kop legend Graeme Souness helped to raise £1.5 million for charity by swimming the English Channel at 70 this summer.

And if Liverpool catch the tide, they could surf the euphoria of 10 men's heist at Newcastle into the swell of the title race. Jurgen Klopp was mugged – twice – by Chelsea as he missed out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia in the £170 million midfield makeover at Anfield.

But even with Ryan Gravenberch on the way from Bayern Munich, Souness warned: “This is a dangerous moment for Liverpool.” With Saudi champions Al Ittihad lining up an eye-watering £200 million bid and nine-figure salary package for Mo Salah, the poster boy of football in the Arab-speaking world, money will talk loudest.

Read the full story here

(Humphrey Nemar)

Klopp dismisses Tuchel concern over Gravenberch

Jurgen Klopp has dismissed any doubts over the ability of Ryan Gravenberch despite his new man struggling to make an impact at Bayern Munich last season.

After months of speculation, Liverpool finally confirmed the signing of the Dutch international just hours before Friday's 11pm deadline. The 21-year-old signed on a five-year deal for an initial £34.2million fee.

The move comes little more than a year after Gravenberch arrived in Germany from Ajax, having played his part in three Eredivisie and two KNVB Cup wins. But despite then adding a Bundesliga medal to his collection in the 2022/23 campaign, the youngster failed to make an impact at Bayern, the bulk of his 24 league appearances coming from the bench.

Read what Tuchel and Klopp both had to say about the midfielder here

Thomas Tuchel speaks to the media (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

Europa League fixtures confirmed

UEFA have released the official list of fixtures for the 2023/24 Europa League group stage campaign following Friday's draw.

Here's how Liverpool's schedule shapes up:

September 21 - LASK vs Liverpool (5:45pm)

October 5 - Liverpool vs Union SG (8pm)

October 26 - Liverpool vs Toulouse (8pm)

November 9 - Toulouse vs Liverpool (5:45pm)

November 30 - Liverpool vs LASK (8pm)

December 14 - Union SG vs Liverpool (5:45pm)

Carragher 'changes mind' over Salah

Jamie Carragher admits Liverpool would have to consider selling Mohamed Salah this summer if Al-Ittihad continue to up their offer.

The Saudi club are prepared to launch a world-record bid to land the Egyptian forward with a £200m offer mooted before their transfer deadline passes.

Liverpool have stood firm to reject their latest offers for the 31-year-old, but Carragher accepts every player has their price, while Sky Sports colleague Neville suggests the Reds legend has now 'changed his mind'.

"For any player, if that number just keeps going up and up and up, you can't turn that down and that's £200million," Carragher said. "I don't think it will [happen] because it's come so late.

"If it had come six weeks ago it was a toss of a coin. If that number gets too big you may have to get to January."

(Sky Sports)

Klopp's reality

Liverpool are under no illusions over the prospect of another massive offer for Mo Salah…despite rejecting a £150m bid and insisting the “matter is closed” as the Premier League transfer window closed.

‌The football world was shaken with the news on Friday that the Reds had rejected an offer from Al-Ittihad to make Salah the face of the Saudi Pro League, which could have risen to an astonishing £150m for a 31 year old.

‌The Saudi club are also understood to have offered to make the player the highest paid in the world with a staggering £1.5m a week…more than Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar receive after switching to the Pro League.

‌Yet Liverpool's response was swift and firm: they stated bluntly that Salah is not for sale, the matter is closed, and they will absolutely not encourage any further offers.

In reality though, boss Jurgen Klopp and his American owners know that Al Ittihad - backed by the Saudi government’s sovereign wealth fund, the PIF - have the finances to blow even that offer out of the water.

Read more here

(PA)

Now then

Right then.

That's all folks.

We'll catch you on the flip side.

There'll be plenty of fall out tomorrow no doubt.

See you then.

WINDOW SHUT!

That is it.

The transfer window is officially closed and Liverpool will not be doing any more business for the time being.

There have been a lot of departures and some decent arrivals and most supporters will be happy.

The question now is - will Liverpool keep hold of Mohamed Salah with the Saudi window staying open for another couple of weeks?

You can follow all the developments on that transfer saga with Mirror Football.

Klopp on Gravenberch

The Liverpool boss has spoken for the first time on his new recruit.

And Klopp was quick to insist he will fit into how Liverpool play despite concerns raised by Thomas Tuchel and Bayern.

"He is 21, played over 100 games for Ajax already. Had a, I wouldn’t even say difficult season at Bayern because in that age group it’s completely normal; you go into a world-class team and he had his minutes and stuff like this," he said.

"But how Thomas Tuchel said today in the press conference in Munich I think, the position he is best at, they don’t really have in their system. We have that – that’s good. We have a lot of games to play."

Squad number confirmed

The midfielder will wear the No. 38 shirt at Anfield.

He has already been wished well by one of his predecessors.

Gravenberch speaks for the first time

“I’m very happy. Very happy that the deal is done and I’m finally here. If you see it from the outside, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. Also the fans, the stadium, I think everything from the outside is top. So that’s why [it was the right club].

“I’m really looking forward to [being at Anfield] and I can’t wait to hear the You’ll Never Walk Alone song. Now we start fresh again, a new start, and I’m going to give my all for this club. [My ambitions are] to win prizes. To win prizes, play a lot and show them who we are and who I am.”

Liverpool sign Gravenberch

It's finally done!

Liverpool have completed the signing of Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich for £34m.

The Dutch midfielder has struggled for Bayern but will look to get his career back on track at Anfield.

Well, well, well

A cryptic post from Liverpool.

Is an announcement imminent?

Klopp says Reds got lucky

Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool "were a bit lucky" with their Europa League draw - which has worked out favourably for their travel arrangements.

The Reds will play in European football's secondary competition this season after missing out on the top four last term, meaning they have the unenviable task of playing on Thursday nights before preparing for Premier League action at the weekend, which can prove testing.

Liverpool have been drawn in a Europa League group with Union Saint-Gilloise, LASK and Toulouse meaning they have to travel to France, Austria and Belgium. They dodged any daunting away days to the likes of Russia or Turkey, which clock up the miles, leaving Klopp more than content.

READ MORE.

Carragher on Gravenberch

The Liverpool legend has warned Gravenberch was not the signing Jurgen Klopp 'needed' to make this summer.

Gravenberch remains on his way to Anfield and is set to be confirmed as a Liverpool player before the window shuts.

He said: "It's interesting where he is going to fit in because I don't think he's necessarily this defensive midfield player that I think Liverpool still need, even though they have brought a player in from Germany. I think he's more of a No 8, he's box-to-box, he gets forward - and I think that's why Bayern got rid of him, because Thomas Tuchel didn't want to play him in that position.

"He's a player Jurgen Klopp and the club wanted 12-18 months ago and I'm interested to see where he fits in and if Klopp thinks he's going to be that defensive midfield player. He's young, has good pedigree - having played for Ajax and Bayern - and, to be fair, the fee is not that expensive."

Inside Salah saga

Mohamed Salah is the subject of intense interest from Saudi Arabia on this transfer deadline day.

Al Ittihad made a staggering offer of £150million for the Egypt international - the third biggest amount in the sport's history behind only Neymar and Kylian Mbappe's respective transfers to PSG - but Liverpool rejected the bid outright.

Liverpool have only until 11pm to sign a replacement for Salah and do not believe this to be an adequate amount of time in which to land a player of that calibre.

READ MORE.

Millar on the move

Ex-Liverpool youngster Liam Millar is back in England with Preston.

The Canadian winger made one first-team appearance for Liverpool in an FA Cup clash with Shrewsbury in 2020.

He had joined Basel in 2021 for around £1.3m but has completed a loan move to Deepdale.

Gravenberch deal still on

Any Liverpool fans worried that Ryan Gravenberch would not make the move should calm down.

Reports in Germany suggest he is still heading for Anfield and as we understand, a deal is set to be announced this evening.

Phew.