Liverpool have made a fast start to the summer with the signing of Fabinho, joining Naby Keita in a deal that was already wrapped up last year, as per BBC Sport.
The Reds seem serious about making progress on an exciting but ultimately disappointing 2017/18 campaign that saw them make the Champions League final but suffer a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid.
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Meanwhile, more depth is clearly needed in key positions for Jurgen Klopp’s side to truly challenge for the Premier League title, and more big names are being linked as potentially following Fabinho and Keita in.
The Times have linked Roma goalkeeper Alisson as a target for Klopp, though he’d be expensive at around £80million, so it remains to be seen if it’s really realistic for the Merseyside giants.
Still, they at least have Roberto Firmino on the job, with the Liverpool Echo quoting the forward as saying he’ll continue to ‘pinch’ his fellow Brazilian over a move to Anfield.
Elsewhere, Nabil Fekir has been strongly linked by several sources with a move to Liverpool, with the latest from the Daily Mirror being that the Frenchman only wants to join Klopp’s side and that the club hope to get him for around £50m.
Finally, in a triple deal worth potentially £142m, Liverpool are also being linked with an interest in Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri for £12m by the Daily Star.
If Liverpool could get all these deals done, they’d have a hell of a squad next season that would surely be capable of challenging for two or more major trophies.
Here’s a look at two top class line ups Klopp could put out with his new, deeper pool of players to pick from…
This first line up sees Alisson come in as clear first choice in goal, while the defence remains the same as from the season just gone, with talented young full-backs Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold more than deserving of keeping their places in the side.
Fabinho and Keita look a formidable central midfield pairing that has the potential to be as good as anything in the Premier League, and Fekir joins an immense-looking attack, with a change to a 4-2-3-1 formation allowing Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah to continue to play together at the same time.
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In this second-string side, Loris Karius remains in goal after basically looking decent up until the Champions League final, and in front of him a defence of Nathaniel Clyne, Alberto Moreno, Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan is far from sloppy.
Remarkably, Liverpool’s first-choice midfield of the final months of this season becomes second choice here as Georginio Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson and James Milner line up as a three in the centre, though one imagines they’ll see more playing time than this. Still, once Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain returns from injury as well, that’s a hell of a lot of choice for Klopp in that area.
Finally, potential new signing Shaqiri likely wouldn’t be a starter for LFC, but would be a fine option to have from the bench or to bring in for Salah and allow the Egyptian a rest in some easier games.
Alongside him, Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge have had their fitness problems but remain top players who’d likely get into most Premier League sides and the England team when at their best.