The summer transfer window is crucial for Liverpool’s recruitment team after a season of disappointment at Anfield, when the Reds failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in Jurgen Klopp’s seven complete seasons as manager.
Jorg Schmadtke, a seasoned German sporting director, was hired earlier this week on a temporary basis to replace departing Julian Ward. He will work with Klopp, scouts Dave Fallows and Barry Hunter, and Klopp throughout the summer and beyond to help bolster a team in need of reinforcements after finishing fifth in the Premier League.
While the minds of those at the AXA Training Centre will chiefly be focused on the task at hand and subsequently the Reds’ own recruitment, eyes will no doubt glance at business elsewhere in the Premier League this summer, albeit even briefly, to assess the credentials of Liverpool’s top-four competitors ahead of the new season.
It’s fair to say that transfer rumors have been scarce at the Etihad in recent months. Premier League champion Manchester City is currently two victories away from becoming the first English team to achieve a treble since 1999 as they prepare for the FA Cup and Champions League finals against Manchester United and Inter Milan, respectively.
Alexis Mac Allister of Brighton and Hove Albion, however, has defied that trend. According to speculations in the national media last month, Guardiola is reportedly interested in signing Mac Allister this summer as City prepares to say goodbye to Ilkay Gundogan’s brilliance.
The German international has been a mainstay in the Manchester City side since he moved to East Manchester in 2016 but with his contract expiring at the end of the month, it was reported that Mac Allister was being eyed as a possible replacement for the 32-year-old.
Earlier this year, James Maddison also found his name linked in the gossip columns with a summer switch to the 2023 Premier League champions. The England international has 12 months left on his current deal at relegated Leicester City and is widely expected to depart the King Power this summer after a number of excellent seasons under former manager Brendan Rodgers.
It was claimed by The Athletic that the 26-year-old was a subject of a loan-to-buy offer from the Premier League champions back in January, though officials at the East Midlands outfit are said to have swiftly rejected such a proposal.
After their failure to land their first title since 2004, Arsenal have been linked with a number of high-profile signings in recent weeks as boss Mikel Arteta looks to plot a plan to overthrow Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
Of the names to be linked with a summer move to the Emirates, Declan Rice is the most high-profile. The West Ham United captain has 12 months remaining on his current deal at the Olympic Stadium and is reported to be at the centre of a tug-of-war between the Gunners and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
One of the few players to be touted for a summer move to Stamford Bridge though is Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana. The Cameroon international, who will contest the Champions League final against Manchester City next month, was reported in April to be the subject of talks between Chelsea and Inter Milan after concerns over the performances of Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy.
Chelsea’s predicament is complicated further with any sales to balance the books for the 2022/23 season needing to be completed by June 30.
