If Liverpool Needed to Raise a £100M Transfer Kitty, Who Would They Sell?
Take a look at Liverpool's transfer activity over the past few years, and you'll spot a familiar pattern.
Per Transfer League, the Reds are in the red this season—but only just. It will be the first time they've failed to make a profit on player movement since the 2010/11 campaign.
No club in Europe's top five leagues has generated more income from player sales since 2010, according to a CIES Football Observatory report that was published in September 2016.
While balancing the books might seem a necessity for most businesses, Liverpool fans will point to concerns over the club's ability to compete with their domestic rivals in the transfer market.
As recently as the January window, there were calls for manager Jurgen Klopp to spend in the hope of maintaining a push for the Premier League title. No new faces arrived, though, and Liverpool's lightweight squad struggled to cope with the demands of a hectic fixture schedule that included cup commitments.
But unlike during a game, Klopp remains calm. It's not that owner Fenway Sports Group won't splash the cash but more about the manager finding the right player to bring in.
"If we perform at the highest level, nobody asks for new players, but if you don't, everybody asks for them," the German said in early March, per Gideon Brooks of the Express. "That is the situation we are in, and we are working on it already. We will spend money in the summer."
Liverpool have made further strides on the field this term, yet the likelihood of European football next season will see the need for reinforcements in the summer.
Klopp has declared funds are available, but what if he has the chance to make a marquee signing? For example, what if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wants to reunite with his old Borussia Dortmund boss at Anfield?
Player sales could help fund such deals. For contrasting reasons, we've picked out four candidates who could be moved on during the summer to help add over £100 million to Klopp's transfer kitty.
The Contract Rebel: Emre Can—£12M
1 of 4
Liverpool face a dilemma over Emre Can.
The midfielder has started 17 Premier League games this season, including the past four on the spin. While Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Adam Lallana appear to be Klopp's preferred three in the centre of the park, Can is the next man up.
At 23, he should still have his best years in front of him. The problem for the club, however, is there's only one more year remaining on his contract.
If Can doesn't sign an extension in the near future, the Reds risk seeing the Germany international walk away in the summer of 2018 for nothing.
"Yes, we are in talks," Klopp said, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo. "What can I say? They are good. Emre likes to be here. We really like him as a person and as a player. There are talks. There's nothing else to say about it."
While Klopp appears positive the player will stay, Liverpool have to consider the option of cashing in until the ink is dry on any new deal.
According to Nicola Balice of Calciomercato.com (h/t James Walters of the Daily Star), Juventus are waiting in the wings to pounce, with the Italian giants already making contact with Can's representatives.
While losing a young player, particularly one who can fill a multitude of roles, would be a blow, Liverpool might accept doing a deal this summer is better business than hanging on to a depreciating asset.
The Outcast: Mamadou Sakho—£20M
2 of 4
Does Mamadou Sakho have a long-term future at Anfield? Probably not.
The centre-back fell foul of Klopp's three-strikes-and-your-out policy in the summer, as a series of incidents on the club's tour of the United States led to the player being sent home early.
Despite the Reds' issues at the back—no side in the top six has conceded more goals—Sakho was never used in the first half of the season before joining Crystal Palace on loan in January.
The Eagles have yet to concede with the Frenchman in their team, with those three clean sheets helping ease their relegation fears.
Some Liverpool supporters may question the logic of ostracising the popular Sakho, particularly after he played such a key role in the team's run in the UEFA Europa League final (albeit he missed the final while serving a suspension for a failed drug test).
"In this moment, he's on loan and still has a contract at Liverpool," Klopp said in February, per Pearce of the Liverpool Echo. "The loan is a solution for this moment. We can wait for new impressions and see what happens."
However, it is hard to see a way back into the German's good books. It seems more likely the temporary spell at Crystal Palace is putting the player in the shop window for a permanent move away this summer.
According to David Maddock of the Mirror, Southampton are "preparing a £20 million bid" for the 27-year-old. That would be good price for a player deemed surplus to requirements.
The Peripheral Figure: Daniel Sturridge—£25M
3 of 4
When it comes to Daniel Sturridge's relationship with Liverpool, a parting of the ways would surely suit both parties. While no one is to blame, no one is benefiting from the situation.
While the club would cash in on a proven finisher in the Premier League—albeit one with a lengthy injury record—the player could prosper in new surroundings, particularly if a team's attack is built around him.
Klopp's Reds aren't that side. The German has used the England international sparingly even when fit, starting him in just five league games this season.
Glenn Price, ESPN FC's Liverpool correspondent, listed the striker as the club's top asset at the start of the campaign. Now, though, he doesn't even make the same expert's top 15.
"Sturridge, who scored in the Europa League final last May, has been unable to remove either Firmino, Mane or Coutinho from Klopp's front line, and injuries have stopped him from putting together a consistent run of games," Price wrote. "It seems inevitable that the 27-year-old will be leaving the club in the summer."
Sturridge's age, combined with his goalscoring record, will attract plenty of clubs.
Per Melissa Reddy and Loic Tanzi of Goal, Liverpool knocked back Paris Saint-Germain's ambitious plan for a loan deal in January. The story also mentions possible interest from MLS too.
Sturridge's value has dipped over the past 12 months, but Paul Hetherington of the Star on Sunday reported West Ham United would be willing to pay as much as £25 million to acquire the player.
Liverpool shouldn't let him leave on the cheap, yet an amicable divorce would swell their coffers and allow Klopp to bring in a forward more suited to his style of play.
The Crown Jewel: Philippe Coutinho—£60 Million
4 of 4
Liverpool would be reluctant to cash in on Philippe Coutinho, but sometimes needs must.
The playmaker is just 24. While his form hits stunning peaks and lengthy troughs throughout a season, there's no denying the Brazilian's talent on the ball.
The Reds picked up a bargain when they took Coutinho off Inter Milan's hands, paying just £11.05 million in January 2013, according to Transfermarkt.
They'd want that number several times over to even consider cashing in on Coutinho, who signed a new long-term contract in January to become the highest-paid player in the club's history, per BBC Sport.
But one rather large vulture is circling over Anfield again.
Not for the first time, Barcelona could swoop again for one of Liverpool's star turns. Per Spanish outlet Sport (h/t Luke Gardener of the Daily Star), the Catalan giants have Coutinho at the top of their shopping list.
The English club lost Luis Suarez to Barca in 2014. Transfermarkt lists that deal at £69.46 million, a record fee received. Yet the striker's departure left a huge void that, for some inexplicable reason, the panicked signing of Mario Balotelli failed to fill.
So would the impact of losing Coutinho be on a similar level?
Before Christmas, the answer to that question would likely have been "yes." However, the player's dip in 2017 may have altered a few opinions, and Klopp might feel he could find a top-class replacement—albeit not necessarily a like-for-like successor—and still have spare change in his pocket.
If they feel Coutinho moving on is inevitable at some stage, and with the potential for a cash-rich Chinese club to get involved too, the Reds could flog their prized asset to the highest bidder.
Yet Liverpool will also be mindful of the potential backlash from doing such a deal.
It's unlikely Klopp would have to stand outside Anfield to placate supporters, just like Kevin Keegan did following his Newcastle United side's decision to sell Andy Cole to Manchester United in 1995, but the deal would be used against them to show a lack of ambition.
All statistics used in the article are from WhoScored.com unless otherwise stated.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
