Liverpool could seal £100m transfers in final week of window after deal confirmed

With deadline day fast approaching, Liverpool are finally beginning to ramp up their transfer activity. Although the Reds remain the only club in Europe's top five leagues yet to bolster their ranks this summer, Richard Hughes and his team have been busy securing lucrative moves away from Anfield for some of the club's young stars.

Midfielder Bobby Clark is the latest player to confirm his exit following a £10m switch to Red Bull Salzburg. The 19-year-old, who joined Liverpool from Newcastle United for £1.5m in 2021, is set to reunite with Pep Lijnders in Austria, with the former Reds assistant boss understood to have been instrumental in driving the deal.

As well as securing a healthy transfer fee for Clark, Liverpool have also negotiated a 17.5 per cent sell-on clause and have brokered a matching rights agreement if the 19-year-old should move on from Salzburg. His exit comes after Fabio Carvalho left Merseyside last week to join Brentford for a fee that could rise to £27.5m.

While this perceived cull of some of the Reds' fringe players may have come as a bit of surprise in some quarters of the fanbase, the money generated from Clark and Carvalho's departures could benefit the club in the long term by putting some extra cash in Liverpool's transfer coffers. And the aforementioned duo are not the only players who could seek pastures new this summer, with several other members of Arne Slot's squad also expected to leave before next Friday's deadline.

Sepp van den Berg, who joined Liverpool in a £4.4m move from Eredivisie club PEC Zwolle in 2019, has joined Carvalho at Brentford, with the west London club having agreed a deal in principle to sign the defender for £25m plus £5m in add-ons. Van den Berg had also been the subject of interest from German champions Bayer Leverkusen, having excelled on loan at Mainz last term.

The fee is impressive considering he has never made a Premier League appearance for Liverpool.

Elsewhere, Portsmouth are nearing the permanent acquisition of forward Harvey Blair, having agreed a £300k deal with the Reds for the 20-year-old.

While Blair's fee is relatively nominal compared to the figures being touted for some of his teammates, the fact the youngster has just one year remaining on his contract and has largely played academy football during his time on Merseyside renders it a good deal for all parties.

At the other end of the experience spectrum, Joe Gomez is continuing to explore his options ahead of a potential Liverpool exit before August 30. The Reds had agreed a £45m deal to sell the defender to Newcastle earlier in the window as part of a package that would have seen Anthony Gordon move in the opposite direction for £75m.

Although that transfer collapsed, Gomez's future remains up in the air, with the England international having been left out of the matchday squad for Liverpool's Premier League opener against Ipswich Town last weekend. The Reds have insisted he remains a valued part of the group at the AXA Training Centre and could be in contention for Sunday's visit from Brentford but, if he were to leave this summer, it would certainly give the club a sizable injection of cash.

Two players who are almost certain to leave on a permanent deal over the course of the next week are Tyler Morton and Nat Phillips. Morton has impressed on successive loans with Championship sides Blackburn Rovers and Hull City and is valued at £20m while Phillips has attracted interest from Turkey and the Championship this summer.

A number of other young players are expected to leave on loan, though Liverpool could be tempted into agreeing permanent deals should suitable offers arise. £10m-rated Ben Doak and left-back Owen Beck have both been linked with permanent moves away, while Kaide Gordon, James McConnell, Calum Scanlon and Marcelo Pitaluga have all been tipped to make temporary switches away from Anfield.

Perhaps one of the more eyebrow-raising names linked with a loan move this summer is Stefan Bajcetic, who shone for the first team in 2021/22 before injuries kept him sidelined for much of last season. Considering Liverpool are yet to bring in a defensive midfielder following the collapse of Martin Zubimendi's transfer from Real Sociedad, it would arguably be prudent to keep the 19-year-old around, although he could benefit from regular game time having been out of action for so long.

Wataru Endo, too, could be a surprise late exit, having been the subject of an £11.8m bid from Marseille earlier in the summer. While it currently seems unlikely the Japan international is allowed to leave Merseyside, that could change if Liverpool do move to bring in a No.6 before next Friday.