Liverpool star now on brink of transfer U-TURN

Liverpool have been tipped to offload several players in the summer transfer window.

Sporting director Richard Hughes and head coach Arne Slot are eyeing reinforcements in the market and will likely need to sell plenty of talents before they bring in anyone new.

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The Reds boast the fifth-highest wage bill in European football and have recently furnished expensive contract renewals for Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

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Space will need to be made in the first-team squad in order to upgrade and that’s why certain stars have their futures under intense scrutiny.

Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez could well be sold if the price is right while Luis Diaz and Federico Chiesa may also move on.

We could see Tyler Morton and Wataru Endo leave while there is uncertainty over multiple defenders - including Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah and of course Trent Alexander-Arnold.

One other player also tipped for the exit is Harvey Elliott. The England under-21 man has barely figured for Slot during this Premier League season and was linked with Brighton and Borussia Dortmund in January.

Elliott will be STAYING

The 22-year-old is capable of providing cover for Mohamed Salah on the right wing as well as in attacking midfield but does not seem to possess the characteristics to satisfy Slot.

It was reported a couple of weeks ago that Liverpool would be prepared to accept £40 million to £50m for Elliott, whose current contract runs until 2027.

But now comes the news in Football Insider that Elliott is set to STAY for another season at least - that is unless a ridiculous offer materialises.

“Liverpool will not look to sell Harvey Elliott this summer despite his lack of action in the 2024-25 campaign,” a report reads.

“The Reds view Elliott, 22, as an all-important homegrown talent with huge potential for the future – and will not accept a bid unless it is too good to turn down.”

The key to Elliott's Liverpool future

The inclusion of the word “homegrown” is important in this context.

“Each club’s squad must contain no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the "Home Grown Player" (HGP) criteria. The rest of the squad, up to a total of 25 players, must be "Home Grown”, states the Premier League.

“A "Home Grown Player" means a player who, irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to The Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday.”

Given the uncertainty over SEVERAL homegrown players - such as Caoimhin Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Morton and more - Liverpool need to keep hold of all the homegrown stars they can or else risk fielding a reduced squad next season.

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For the 2024/25 season, Liverpool registered a 22-man squad, with seven homegrown players. That is one reason why Elliott could be set for a surprise transfer u-turn.