LATEST UPDATES 》Mohamed Salah decision, Alexander Isak signs, £50m transfer – Liverpool dream 2025/26 squad

Liverpool could win the Premier League this season but still make extensive changes to their squad when the transfer window opens

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah. (Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Liverpool stand on the brink of becoming Premier League champions. Despite Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to Fulham, the Reds still hold an 11-point lead over Arsenal in the table.

The Reds last won the championship back in 2020 when Jurgen Klopp’s side amassed 99 points en route to the title, ending a 30-year wait for a top-flight title in the process. Klopp’s midfield revamp worked a treat the summer before last — with Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai all impressing so far this season.

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And even though the Reds are on course to be crowned league champions, there is a feeling that overhauls could be coming in defence and attack this summer, especially given that, as things stand, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah’s contracts are all set to expire. With this in mind, we have taken a look at what Arne Slot’s dream squad could look like by the end of the summer transfer window.

Goalkeepers

In Alisson Becker, Liverpool have the best in the world. “I want to honour my contract and finish my contract here or make a new one. I am really happy here. My family is happy,” he stated last August, and with a contract that runs until 2027, one suspects he will remain at the club this summer.

Especially if he is going to be able to mentor Giorgi Mamardashvili when the Georgian international completes his £30m transfer from Valencia. Slot is going to have a conundrum on his hands working out a succession plan between those two, but he can also bask in the luck of having two options at his disposal.

He has, of course, experienced this with Caoimhin Kelleher this season, who has made a further 20 appearances for the Reds in all competitions. As brilliant a servant as the Irishman has been, at 26 years of age, there is every chance he will look to move on in a bid to secure regular first-team football. While Vitezslav Jaros, another product of the academy, could remain at the club as third choice.

Defenders

Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid. The defender’s Liverpool contract expires at the end of the season, and it has been widely reported that Carlo Ancelotti’s side are working on finalising a deal for the England international.

As previously reported by the ECHO, the 26-year-old is continuing to consider whether to accept an offer from Real. The La Liga giants failed in a bid to sign the England international for a cut-price fee during the January transfer window.

Virgil van Dijk also finds himself in the same position as Alexander-Arnold; however, he revealed after the defeat to Marco Silva’s side on Sunday that there has been “progress” on contract talks with the club.

With Alexander-Arnold having missed parts of this season due to injury, Conor Bradley has often stepped up at right-back. Van Dijk has Ibrahima Konate as his trusted partner, and behind them is Jarell Quansah.

However, with Joel Matip having not been replaced, and Joe Gomez has only seen four months of action without injury this season; it is understandable why supporters are keen to see a centre-back signed this summer.

If – but only if – Liverpool are able to keep Van Dijk and tie Konate to a new deal beyond 2026, their dream scenario would be to recruit another young back-up to one day take their mantle. In the Premier League there is no greater choice than Dean Huijsen, who, it is claimed, has a clear-cut £50m buyout clause.

The Spaniard has been thrust into senior English football – and as a later reward, senior national football – sooner than anticipated and proven he can handle it well. At 19, Slot can help build the spine of his team for the next decade with his signing.

Lastly, the left side of defence seems to be the area that requires the most critical surgery based on the current players available.

Andy Robertson has vowed to prove his critics wrong as he recently opened up on the criticism he has faced this season. However, the ECHO understands that Liverpool are interested in 21-year-old Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez while keeping tabs on a number of other potential options ahead of the forthcoming transfer window.

But should Kerkez arrive at Anfield this summer, then Kostas Tsimikas could be allowed to leave in a bid to secure first-team football.

Midfielders

On Sunday Jamie Carragher suggested Liverpool did not need to sign another midfielder for their squad despite several failed past attempts. You know what? He’s correct, but there is actually a way they can introduce a fresh face without the use of money.

Slot’s trusted starters this year have been Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch – long may their supremacy continue.

When rotated, it has most often been Curtis Jones followed by Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo who enter the team. If all are happy to stay, then they should be allowed to, preferably with more minutes, as that is what is deserving of their talents, and ultimately rotation would benefit everybody.

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While Slot also has the luxury of reintrdoucing Stefan Bajcetic, who will return from his loan to Las Palmas this summer, Tyler Morton is another who could come into his thinking. The midfielder has made five appearances for Liverpool this season, including in last week’s 3-2 Champions League defeat at PSV.

Morton was linked with a move away from Anfield earlier this month as Championship promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough held talks with the player about a return to the Championship. Boro had an initial approach rebuffed from Liverpool, who valued the 22-year-old at in excess of £10m.

Then, in a social media post last month, he revealed that he has had a successful operation on a shoulder issue that is expected to keep him sidelined for several weeks.

Attackers

Like Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah is out of contract in the summer, as things currently stand. It probably needs no amount of text to explain, but the Egyptian stays in a dream scenario.

And perhaps the importance of this outcome is elevated because of the contributions of his teammates. Cody Gakpo has established himself as an attacker of the very highest level with room still to improve.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Federico Chiesa has not had many chances to prove his worth. While questions remain around the futures of Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez.

With the South American duo, it is watching them produce flashes of brilliance all to wonder, ‘Why can’t they just do this every week?’ And in Jota’s case, yes, he has hardly been in his best form since the turn of the year, but it is more likely injuries that have stunted his progress.

But it is easy to get dragged back in with these heroes seemingly on the verge of winning Liverpool their next league title. If Diaz and Jota continue in their post-international break form, then there should be no question of them remaining on Merseyside next year.

As for Nunez, unfortunately, he has had three years now and doesn’t look like he is going to become the forward so many hoped he would be when he joined the club from Benfica. Which means the Reds should be looking to recruit a number nine this summer.

Hugo Ekitike has been linked; however, Alexander Isak would be the dream signing. The forward has scored 24 goals in all competitions for Newcastle this season, including two against Liverpool – one of those proved to be the winner in the Carabao Cup Final last month.

It’s that rich vein of form which has led to the striker being linked with a big-money move when the summer transfer window opens, with Newcastle setting a reported asking price in the region of £150million.

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In summary, Liverpool can sell Kelleher, Gomez, Tsimikas, Morton and Nunez while adding Mamardashvili, Huijsen, Kerkez, Bajcetic and Isak to create their dream squad to attack next season and a campaign in which the Reds are set to start it as the reigning champions.

Here is how that final squad would look:

Alisson, Mamardashvili, Jaros; Alexander-Arnold, Bradley, Van Dijk, Konate, Quansah, Huijsen, Kerkez, Robertson, Gravenberch, Endo, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Jones, Elliott, Bajcetic, Salah, Chiesa, Isak, Jota, Gakpo, Diaz.

Final dream 2025/26 squad