Arne Slot drops three major hints on what Liverpool are looking for in transfer window

Arne Slot drops three major hints on what Liverpool are looking for in transfer window

Liverpool are expected to be busy in the summer transfer window as manager Arne Slot looks to strengthen a squad which has won the Premier League with time to spare

Arne Slot during Liverpool's title celebrations (Image: PA )

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has outlined what his team will demand from any new signings. Slot's side have won the Premier League at a canter, also reaching the Carabao Cup final and only narrowly losing to Champions League finalists Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, and the standards for any new signings are high.

One man definitely on his way to Anfield is Giorgi Mamardashvili, with the Valencia goalkeeper agreeing a move last summer. He'll hope to feature more regularly than Slot's only other signing, Federico Chiesa, who is still waiting for his first Premier League start.

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"We have just won the league, we were so competitive v PSG, it is not easy to find better players to improve us," Slot told reporters ahead of Sunday's match against Arsenal. "They need to be available and we need to be able to afford them."

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Slot's magic potion of available, affordable and an improvement on the current crop doesn't point to a huge pool of players. However, captain Virgil van Dijk anticipated a busy few months when he committed his future to the club.

“Whatever happens in terms of players going out, players coming in, I think it should be a big summer," the skipper said. "I think they're planning to make it a big summer, so we all have to trust the board, as a Liverpool-connected fan, to do the right job. I think Liverpool should be able to challenge for titles in the upcoming years.”

Some areas may well require more urgent attention than others. Right-back will be a key position, with Trent Alexander-Arnold confirming he will leave the club when his contract expires in the summer.

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While Van Dijk and top scorer Mohamed Salah agreed contract extensions, Alexander-Arnold is expected to be at Real Madrid rather than Liverpool next season. The Reds have been linked with a number of potential replacements, with Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong among them, but could yet go into next season with Conor Bradley as their first choice and will give the youngster a chance to impress between now and the end of the season.

Giorgi Mamardashvili is on his way to Liverpool this summer (Image: Getty Images )

"Let's not compare [him] with Trent already, they are different types in my opinion," Slot said of Bradley. "With Conor, we all see the potential but last week I walked on to the pitch together with him and I looked around because, for me, it was the first time (at Stamford Bridge). And I was very surprised that he made a comment about the stadium as well because it was the first time he was there as well.

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"That was a bit of a surprise to me, because I thought he was further in his development than being at an away game like Chelsea for the first time. Very talented player Conor, unfortunately hasn’t been fit through the season."

Conor Bradley will have a chance to impress between now and the end of the season (Image: Getty Images )

Slot indicated Bradley would have started at Chelsea had he not been working his way back to match sharpness after an injury-hit campaign, and expects him to start at home to Arsenal. The Northern Ireland international missed a run of games in December and then faced another spell on the sidelines in February and March, keeping him out of the Carabao Cup final.

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"He needs playing time, games under his belt to be prepared for next season," the manager said. "Unfortunately he hasn't been fit all season but to become a good player you have to be fit all season but we have a lot of confidence in him as a very good full-back for Liverpool."

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