Liverpool warned to complete £52m transfer before World Cup

Liverpool have been told which player is the sort they should be signing – but they can’t afford to wait until after the World Cup.

The Reds face undergoing a second successive summer rebuild at the end of the season despite splashing out £446million last year.

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Liverpool backed up their Premier League title triumph by breaking the British transfer record twice ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

However, Arne Slot‘s side sit fourth in the table – 20 points behind leaders Arsenal with two games to go – and will end up trophyless.

More upheaval is expected in the transfer market, with club legends Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson leaving as free agents.

Question marks remain over the future of Ibrahima Konate, with Juventus also advancing in talks to sign goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

The priority in terms of incomings will undoubtedly be on the wing, with Rio Ngumoha’s emergence compensating for Luis Diaz being sold to Bayern Munich for £65.5million last summer.

Now, Salah’s imminent departure will create a massive gap to fill, with Steven Gerrard naming Michael Olise as his dream replacement.

Such a deal looks unfeasible considering the figures involved, but Maghnes Akliouche has emerged as a potential alternative target.

Former Liverpool defender Djimi Traore, who is now Monaco academy manager, revealed big clubs have ‘kept calling’ about the 24-year-old.

Tottenham have long been credited with an interest in Akliouche, who is thought to be worth around €60m [£52m] and potentially up to €70m [£60m] depending on demand this summer.

European football expert Andy Brassell admitted the seven-cap France international is typical of the profile of players Liverpool’s FSG owners signed prior to last summer, but warned the Reds that a positive World Cup may put a deal out of reach.

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Maghnes Akliouche to Liverpool transfer

“I think we identified [him as a potential Salah replacement] a couple of months back, didn’t we actually?” Brassell told talkSPORT.com.

“The form that he’s been in in the last four to five months has been brilliant.

“He’s been a huge part of Monaco‘s season being dragged back from the cliff edge, even though they’ve had a few stumbles recently.

“But Akliouche’s ability has always been clear. Now we can see him grabbing games by the scruff of the neck and making life incredibly difficult for defenders.

“Now, of course, he’s not a direct replacement for Mo Salah, but Mo Salah wasn’t Mo Salah of now or the Mo Salah of the Liverpool title-winning season when he arrived – he became that at Liverpool.

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Liverpool told to get deal done before the World Cup

“He went from being a very good player at Roma to becoming one of the absolute best in the world at Liverpool, and I think it’s important to recognise that development, that metamorphosis.

“Also, you can’t replace Mo Salah with just one player, even if you think he’s diminished from what he was now. It’s just not possible.

“So I think to have a right-sided lefty with good form now, and huge upside feels a very Liverpool signing, and it feels the sort of signing that Liverpool should be making.

“The only thing I would say is get it over the line before the World Cup because he’ll be in that World Cup squad because he’s played his way into it over the past four or five months.

“If he has a few good cameos for France, Monaco will whack the price up, it’s fair to say, and also there’s competition for him as well.

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PSG and Spurs interested in Akliouche

“We know Paris Saint-Germain are interested in him,” Brassell added. “If they move on Lee Kang-in, maybe they’ll be interested in him again.

“They might have other priorities, but he’s a top quality player who’s certainly good enough to be at least a rotational player at PSG.

“We know when they’ve got [Desire] Doue, [Ousmane] Dembélé, [Khvicha] Kvaratskhelia, it doesn’t get any better than that.

“But you’ve got [Bradley] Barcola on the fringes, you add Akliouche to that it’s a terrifying prospect really. So there will be competition.

“We know Spurs have been interested as well – if I was in Liverpool’s position, get it done…get it done yesterday!”