Colwill TALKS, Olise ADVANTAGE, Van Dijk Saudi DEAL - Liverpool transfer news today

Here’s our Liverpool FC transfer recap for Saturday 15 June. There are updates on Mohamed Salah, Michael Olise, Levi Colwill and Virgil van Dijk.

The transfer window is here and Liverpool are looking at several targets. Those targets are having to make up their minds on chasing a transfer. Here's the latest news.

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Salah AGREED to Saudi deal

Mohamed Salah isn’t the same player as he was and Liverpool should sell him to any interested club in Saudi Arabia if the price is right. 

That’s according to former Liverpool player Jose Enrique, who also believes that the Egyptian has already AGREED to move to the Saudi Pro League. 

The ex-left back reckons that since a bid was made to Liverpool last summer, from Al-Itiihad and in the region of £150 million, Salah must have given the transfer his blessing. 

Salah, 32 on Saturday, finished the season as the Reds’ top goalscorer as well as being given the club player of the year award. 

He has been top scorer in EVERY season at Anfield since transferring from Roma in 2017. It’s been a truly remarkable run for the 211-goal superstar, who has also won the Premier League, Champions League and two African player of the year awards in his time at the club.

However, in the eyes of the Spaniard, now is the time for Liverpool to move on from Salah and allow him to flourish in Saudi Arabia, where he can rival Cristiano Ronaldo for the region’s biggest star. 

Advantage Liverpool in Olise chase

The Telegraph reports that Liverpool may have an advantage over Chelsea when it comes to signing Michael Olise. This comes after the Blues put in an offer to Crystal Palace for the French Olympic star.

The entire battle may come down to one thing, however: a release clause. Olise apparently has one in his contract, allowing him to leave for £60m.

However, it's rumoured that the clause may only apply to Champions League clubs. The Telegraph's report stops short of saying this is definitely true but suggests there are sources that verify it.

Chelsea fell just short of qualifying for the Champions League next season, potentially eliminating them from the clause. Manchester United and Newcastle United - another two clubs heavily linked with Olise - are also excluded.

Liverpool, though, who the Mirror claim are interested in Olise would have access to said clause.

Klopp's thoughts on Red Bull

Jurgen Klopp has been linked with a job at Red Bull, right after the energy drink giant purchased a minority stake in Leeds United. Salzburger Nachrichten claims he could be their new Head of Football Operations - a role that's currently vacant.

They've now added Leeds to their portfolio, which also includes RB Leipzig, RB Salzburg, New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Brasil among others. All of the clubs are linked - and the company's head of football oversees the lot of them.

It's a system that Klopp has praised in the past as Liverpool played pre-season friendlies against Leipzig and Salzburg.

"What Red Bull is doing is a really interesting project, I have to say," said Klopp in 2022. "The team is incredibly young but incredibly skilled.

“Again, they kind of change every year, they sell players but still a good team. It’s really interesting what they are doing. The football philosophy is not too far away from ours [at Liverpool] as well."

There's another link from Klopp to Red Bull, too. Salzburg just appointed his former assistant, Pep Lijnders as their new manager, with Vitor Matos and Andreas Kornmayer both heading there after leaving Liverpool this summer.

Al-Nassr meet Van Dijk reps

Marca reports that Al-Nassr have met with the agents of Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk. The Saudi Pro League side wish to make him the highest-paid defender in world football.

Al-Nassr are the club of Cristiano Ronaldo, of course, but they have other players with links to Van Dijk. Sadio Mané is the most obvious - he moved there from Bayern Munich last summer.

They also have Aymeric Laporte at centre-back. He's an interesting one, given Laporte was reportedly the 'other' option for Liverpool when they signed Van Dijk back in 2018.

Laporte, though, is rumoured to be leaving the club imminently. Van Dijk would be his replacement and Al-Nassr's major signing of 2024.

Reds open Colwill talks

Sooner or later it appears Virgil van Dijk’s legendary Liverpool career is coming to an end. The soon-to-be 33-year-old is out of contract in 2025 with no breakthrough so far over a new deal. 

The Netherlands captain stated on international duty a few weeks ago that discussions over a new contract wouldn’t make sense right now, leading to speculation that he could be soon parting ways with the Anfield side. 

Then came a report that the Reds intended to delay talks over a new deal until the end of 2024, with Van Dijk free to discuss a contract with overseas teams from January. 

Van Dijk will be 34 by the time his current contract runs out and it would make sense that Liverpool’s higher-ups would be creating a blueprint for a succession plan. 

The former Celtic stopper is now emerging as a key target for Saudi Pro League clubs this summer with a bombshell new report stating that the £75 million defender’s representatives are in the process of trashing out a deal with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. 

If the captain leaves this summer or next then Liverpool will require a high-quality replacement to slot in on the left-hand side of their central defence. 

And according to the latest reports, the Reds have come back again for a long-term target. 

Chelsea’s Levi Colwill has been chased by Liverpool ever since his loan spell at Brighton in the 2022/23 season. When he returned to Stamford Bridge last summer the Reds tried hard for his signature but came away empty-handed. 

It was reckoned that Liverpool’s decision makers admired Colwill’s speed and versatility, being capable of playing on the left side of a centre back duo, in a back three and also at left back. 

At a stroke he could be a replacement for Van Dijk, a player who could produce a tactical tweak should Trent Alexander-Arnold move into midfield from right back and provide cover for the now injury-hit Andy Robertson all at once. 

HITC claims Liverpool have begun speaking with Chelsea over a deal for the 21-year-old England international, who is reportedly unhappy about playing so often at left back, rather than in his preferred centre back berth. 

Liverpool out of the running for De Ligt

Liverpool are not among the Premier League sides interested in a move for Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt this summer, according to a report from Germany. 

The Dutch international, who will be representing the Netherlands at Euro 2024 this summer alongside Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch, could be on the move this summer, with Bayern set to cash in on the centre-back.

The German giants have already announced the signing of Hiroki Ito from Stuttgart and are expected to add Bayer Levrkusen's Jonathan Tah to their defensive ranks in the coming weeks.

That would leave De Ligt's future in serious doubt, with competition already from the likes of Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae and former Tottenham defender Eric Dier.

With Liverpool expected to be active in the market, with particular interest in a new centre-back, De Ligt could have interested the Reds this summer.

However, according to German outlet BILD, there are three Premier League clubs interested in signing the 24-year-old but Liverpool are not one of them.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle United have all been named as potential suitors, suggesting that the Reds are not keen on exploring a deal for the former Ajax defender.