Three reasons why new striker deal has been BLOCKED

Liverpool are almost destined to have a new forward line going into next season.

The last six months have shown, beyond reasonable doubt, that Liverpool cannot afford to continue their with their current attacking options and that change is absolutely necessary.

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Mohamed Salah has delivered a generational season in front of goal, scoring 32 goals and notching 22 assists in 44 matches. He is destined to take home the Premier League's golden boot and playmaker awards and he is one of the current favourites to win the Ballon D'Or later this year.

But in comparison to the Egyptian, the rest of Liverpool's forwards have been incredibly underwhelming, playing well below their usual standards.

Only Cody Gakpo can really finish the season with his head held high, and as such, it should be to no surprise that Liverpool are looking at sweeping changes.

Anfield Watch understands that Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez are all going to have their futures assessed, with potential moves elsewhere explored, which would leave the Reds needing a striker, although a new addition in that position is going to be less than straightforward to sign.

Signing a new striker is fraught with difficulty

Liverpool will have their pick of the bunch when it comes to buying a new striker, if the reports about a summer 'spending spree' are accurate, but a number of considerations will need to be managed.

In his latest Ask Ornstein article for The Athletic, David Ornstein was asked about the likelihood of Liverpool signing a No.9 and he confirmed what most fans were fearing, it will be complicated.

He said: "They [Liverpool] will have multiple options, of course, but I think Liverpool will first want a clearer picture of the Mohamed Salah contract situation, what's happening with Luis Diaz and whether Darwin Nunez is definitely leaving.

"They remain confident Salah will renew, Diaz is certainly one to watch given there has still been no new deal and he has plenty of suitors, and there is a decent chance Nunez goes.

"So you can definitely see somebody coming in, but we don't have any names yet."

As such, a lot of developments are reliant on other things happening. Salah's contract will be an expensive wage outlay, if Diaz is sold then he might need to be replaced to support Gakpo and if Nunez leaves, the need for a striker or two becomes even more important as Jota cannot be relied on, both in front of goal and in terms of injuries and fitness.

But just wait, there's even more to consider beyond just what happens in the forward line.

It should not be forgotten how much work is needed in the defensive areas.

A left-back needs to be brought in as it has become glaringly obvious that Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas are no longer at the level to deliver consistent performances for the team.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is likely to leave this season, with reports claiming that a deal to join Real Madrid is all but complete, so a new right-back will be required to work alongside Conor Bradley.

And that's before we even consider the centre-backs, as Virgil Van Dijk's future is as uncertain as it has ever been with his contract set to expire this summer, Ibrahima Konate is subject to interest from PSG and Jarrell Quansah is subject to interest from Newcastle.

Whatever budget Richard Hughes and the recruitment team have to work with will need to spent wisely across the team.

Furthermore, strikers are going to be expensive - the No. 1 target, Alexander Isak, is likely to cost over £100m, which would break the club's record transfer fee by at least £15m.

Even some of the other targets are looking to be unaffordable, including Joao Pedro at Brighton, who is set to have an asking price of £100m, while Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen are both valued at around €70m, per FootballTransfers.com.

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So while a few names of potential targets might be flying around in reports, the reality is that progress in Liverpool's search for a striker is only set to happen once a plan is devised for the surrounding issues.

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