Liverpool's top 5 most valuable players according to new rankings

Here are Liverpool's top 5 most valuable players according to new rankings by CIES Football Observatory. The Reds are in good shape.

CIES Football Observatory has put out their rankings of the world's most valuable footballers at the start of 2024. It's something they've done for quite some time now, with the study taking several factors into account.

Kylian Mbappé, for instance, is nowhere near the top of the list. That's nothing to do with his age or ability, though - it's because he's out of contract in the summer, tanking his current valuation.

Similarly, Trent Alexander-Arnold doesn't get into Liverpool's top five on account of his contract. It expires in 18 months, making him less valuable right now than many players with half his ability.

Mohamed Salah, again, doesn't crack the top at the Reds as he's into his 30s. CIES maintain that the long-term guarantee of younger players holds a lot more value (even if Liverpool were rejecting world-record offers in the summer).

No.1, for those interested, is Jude Bellingham. That won't surprise anyone, given his long contract, unbelievable form for Real Madrid and the fact he's still only 20. They value him at £235m, all things considered.

So with that in mind, here are Liverpool's top 5 most valuable players.

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5. Ibrahima Konaté - £77.85m

Ibrahima Konaté makes it into fifth, narrowly beating Alexander-Arnold to the spot. It's one that maybe doesn't immediately come to mind but makes a lot of sense.

The Frenchman is still only 24, after all, but already boasts years of experience at the top level. There aren't many centre-backs at Konaté's age who have achieved what he has. As a result, CIES feel he's one of the most valuable centre-backs on the planet.

4. Cody Gakpo - £87.95m

What a bargain Cody Gakpo was. Liverpool signed him a year ago from PSV Eindhoven for £37m and now he's supposedly worth well over double that.

Gakpo has established himself as an incredibly useful player for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. Combine that with his age (24) and the years remaining on his contract and you get a high valuation.

3. Alexis Mac Allister - £90.71m

A summer signing for Liverpool, Alexis Mac Allister has quickly become a regular in the side. He's in the same age bracket as Konaté and Gakpo, too, but turned 25 late last month.

Of course, Mac Allister is also a regular for Argentina and won the World Cup a year ago. That significantly boosted his reputation in the game and his long-term contract at Anfield raises his valuation significantly.

2. Darwin Nunez - £101.5m

One of Liverpool's two players valued over £100m, Darwin Nunez has one of the more unique reputations in football right now. He is unquestionably a great player but also one who should be far better than he is. Essentially, no one really knows just how good he is.

Nunez only joined Liverpool 18 months ago, so has that long contract CIES love. He also, like the others on this list, started this season at 24 years old. He'll turn 25 in June but for now remains a player with time on his side and incredible potential.

1. Dominik Szoboszlai - £119.62m

There's quite the leap from Darwin Nunez to Dominik Szoboszlai. Perhaps that's as a result of Szoboszlai feeling like a more polished player than the Uruguayan.

CIES certainly feel he's something special and have the midfielder down as the 13th most valuable player in world football. In fact, they feel his move to Liverpool has nearly doubled his valuation.

Szoboszlai is also younger than the others, having only turned 23 in October while the rest head towards 25. His potential is seriously fantastic and that's reflected in his valuation here.