Best and Worst Scenarios for Liverpool in the Rest of the Transfer Window

Liverpool's summer hasn't quite gone according to plan.

It was meant to be all about spending Fenway Sport Group's cash ahead of a return to the UEFA Champions League group stage. Instead, it's been dominated by failed raids, tampering issues and a star with itchy feet.

Yes, manager Jurgen Klopp has drafted in three players. Mohamed Salah, Dominic Solanke and Andrew Robertson have demonstrated already they will be useful additions to the squad.

However, the Reds' transfer business has been underwhelming. Now, with the window slamming shut (it contractually has to do that) at 11 p.m. BST on August 31, time is running out to make further signings.

As the clock ticks on, Bleacher Report has picked out the best and worst scenarios for Liverpool before we reach September.

Best: Philippe Coutinho Stays Put

The outcome of the Philippe Coutinho transfer saga will set the mood for the remainder of the year.

If the Reds keep him, the board will have withstood Barcelona's advances and remained true to their word. If they sell him, though, the club will have lost more than just a key player. It will be their football-in-the-groin moment; while they deal with suffering a painful blow, everyone else will just find it hilarious.

This isn't about making money, it's about taking a stand.

FSG's official statement made it clear: Coutinho will "remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer window closes."

"They have said all the right things about keeping Coutinho, so now they must be as good as their word," Mark Ogden wrote for ESPN.co.uk. "Otherwise, Coutinho will simply join the list of star players who have built a reputation at Liverpool and then cashed in to 'win things' elsewhere."

According to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, Barcelona set a 7 p.m. BST deadline on Sunday for Liverpool to accept their latest offer, which Sky Sports News understood to be an initial £113 million.

The cutoff time passed without any further developments. It remains to be seen if the Spanish club stay true to their word, but for now the Brazilian will have to stop planning for a new life in Catalonia.

Of course, keeping hold of the player doesn't mean everything just returns to normal. Coutinho handed in a transfer request just over six months after revealing his "great happiness" at signing a new long-term deal.

The fans feel a sense of betrayal from a player who built his reputation on Merseyside after arriving from Inter Milan's reserves, albeit they will forgive and forget (to a degree) if he knuckles down from September onwards and focuses on his football.

While it still feels a matter of when—rather than if—Coutinho moves to Barcelona, Liverpool can save face by controlling the terms of the transfer next year instead of caving in before the start of September.

Worst: Coutinho Leaves...No Signings Arrive

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Liverpool fans are on edge. Where once there was an air of ambition as they pondered potential big-name signings, now there is a distinct whiff of panic about the possible departure of Coutinho and a lack of fresh faces in Klopp's squad.

If FSG had an unexplainable change of heart and took the cash from Barcelona, the mood among supporters could turn really nasty. The American owners would need tin hats for any future trips to Anfield.

"This window has not been good for Liverpool, which has not helped, and there would be a riot against the owners and the club if he went because this transfer window has not gone how Liverpool wanted," former player Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports' The Debate show.

For now, it appears the pitchforks won't be needed.

Liverpool don't need to sell to balance the books nor do they need a cash injection to fund deals. Moves for Naby Keita and Virgil van Dijk didn't fail due to a penny-pinching board.

Both Keita and Van Dijk have had just one full season playing in the Bundesliga and Premier League, respectively, yet the Reds were willing to pay handsomely to bring both to Merseyside. The powers-that-be have the utmost faith in Klopp and will back him accordingly.

In a transfer twist, the hunters became the hunted when a shell-shocked Barcelona started shopping for a Neymar replacement.

Therein lies the real concern. If a club the size of Barcelona cannot cajole teams into doing business, what hope is there for Liverpool? They have had months to get their main targets through the door, so why would they now suddenly be able to make signings at such short notice?

Best: Southampton Sell Virgil van Dijk

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Best? More like a dream.

Had Liverpool avoided making (illegal) contact with Van Dijk, a deal might have happened earlier in the summer.

Now, after the Saints made accusations of the player being tapped up behind their back, forcing the Reds to hastily push out a public apology, the move looks dead in the water.

Van Dijk tried his best to force his current club's hand by requesting a transfer. 

According to James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, the Reds are "ready to pounce" if Southampton change their stance and show a willingness to sell. Considering the history between the clubs—not just in recent months but also previous deals—it seems the south-coast side are unlikely to budge.

Pearce also revealed that if Van Dijk doesn't arrive, Klopp will stick with his current options at centre-back. Yes, that means Joe Gomez, Ragnar Klavan, Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip. Yikes.

While you admire the German for refusing to panic buy and overpay for plan B, C or any other letter of the alphabet for that matter, fans will argue the defensive issues that have plagued Liverpool for years must be addressed before familiar issues undermine yet another season.

Improvements can be made on the training field, of course. However, with the addition of European football this season, a crowded fixture list will cut into preparation time.

Would Van Dijk help the team cope better with set-piece situations? Absolutely.

Is the Dutchman really the solution to a longstanding problem? Maybe. Maybe not.

However, it is hard to believe that by the time the window closes, the only reinforcement made to a leaky defence will be an attack-minded left-back in the diminutive shape of Robertson.

Worst Scenario: Liverpool Left With Unwanted Players

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Having mentioned how a strong squad will be required to cope with the demands of playing in four competitions this season (even if they fail to get past Hoffenheim in the UEFA Champions League play-off, the group stage of the Europa League beckons), there are still some at Anfield who are no longer needed.

Mamadou Sakho may be considered by some supporters as a potential answer to Liverpool's defensive issues, but manager Klopp seemingly has no interest in restoring the Frenchman to the first-team picture.

Per Andy Hunter of the Guardian, the Reds want £30 million for a player who has no future on Merseyside.

Crystal Palace were expected to sign Sakho following a successful loan spell at the end of last season. However, Liverpool's asking price is proving a stumbling block to a permanent switch.

"Everybody knows he had a major impact last season and, when he's available for us, I think that is a quality injection for the club," Eagles manager Frank de Boer told reporters after the 1-0 loss to Liverpool (h/t ESPN.co.uk). "It is not like this now because he is much too expensive for the club."

Lazar Markovic is in a similar situation. The Serbian winger can leave in this transfer window, although the asking price—Melissa Reddy of Goal reported it as £16 million—is putting prospective buyers off.

Markovic has played just 1,877 minutes of football for Liverpool since his arrival in July 2014. He has been shoved out on loan for the past two seasons, to Fenerbahce in 2015/16, then Sporting CP and Hull City in the last campaign, and another temporary move would solve the problem in the short term.

Ideally, Liverpool don't want Markovic and Sakho to still be at the club by the time September comes around.

Best Scenario: Sign a Creative Midfielder

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Regardless of Coutinho's future, Liverpool look a little light in midfield.

Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Emre Can started the first two games in the middle of the park before James Milner replaced the latter against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Despite plenty of effort and endeavour, Liverpool struggled badly to break down the Eagles and needed a helping hand from an opponent to eventually score the winning goal in the 73rd minute.

"In truth, other than sideways recycling and helping to aggressively challenge and quickly win back the ball, the midfield was nowhere near dynamic enough off the ball, nor technically helpful on it," Karl Matchett wrote in his post-game analysis for This Is Anfield.

Klopp recognised the problem prior to Coutinho kicking up a fuss, as demonstrated with his failed pursuit of Keita, a star performer when RB Leipzig took the Bundesliga by storm last season.

Ideally, Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick will decide now is the best time to cash in on one of their prized assets, give Liverpool a call and thrash out the terms for a record-breaking deal. That won't happen, though.

OGC Nice's Jean Michael Seri was viewed as an alternative to Keita, according to Ed Aarons of the Guardian, and Klopp admitted on the eve of the season how he would ideally like a new midfield option.

"We don't have too many midfield players in the moment who have experience," he said, per Pearce of the Liverpool Echo.

Coutinho's return can add some much-needed creativity, if Klopp chooses to continue using him in a deeper, more central role, because without the Brazilian and the injured Adam Lallana, Liverpool's engine room lacks a brain to go alongside the brawn. 

Rob Lancaster is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All statistics and transfer fees are from TransferMarkt unless otherwise stated.