Liverpool

Aadam Patel
Football reporter, New York City

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Liverpool's Joe Gomez will miss the start of the Premier League season after Andoni Iraola confirmed the defender sustained a muscle injury in a 4-2 win over Sunderland on Sunday.

Speaking in Chicago, the morning (US time) after Liverpool beat Wrexham in New York, Iraola said: "It was quite clear since he complained straight away so he will be some weeks off.

"It's difficult to say - normally one month [out]. If it goes very good, then a little bit less. If it goes bad then a bit more, but it's a muscle injury. It's not massive.

"It will be impossible to have him for the start of the season because we are not so far off, but it shouldn't be a lot more."

Gomez is still with the squad in Chicago but, with Giovanni Leoni still sidelined and Virgil van Dijk not on the pre-season tour, Iraola has had to resort to using Liverpool's younger centre-backs. In more positive news, Jeremy Jacquet is set to make his debut when Liverpool take on Leeds United in Chicago on Sunday (21:00 BST).

"You've seen in these games that we are pretty thin in the centre-back position," added Iraola.

"The only centre-backs we have right now are Mor [Talla Ndiaye] and Ifeanyi [Ndukwe], who are both 18, just arrived at the club and are doing incredibly well. Luke Chambers played there - he's not a centre-back but he played really well.

"Jeremy is ready to go and we will recover Virgil, but I'm happy that, playing against Sunderland and Wrexham with 18-year-old centre backs, the team has shown composure and solidity at the back and it speaks very well about them."

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Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott is working hard to "impress" new boss Andoni Iraola in order to be given a "second chance" at his boyhood club.

The 23-year-old only played nine games - a total of 277 minutes - for Aston Villa last season while on loan in the Midlands.

A clause in the deal meant Villa would have been obliged to sign him for £35m had he made a 10th appearance.

He has since returned to Liverpool and featured in pre-season friendlies against Sunderland and Wrexham.

"Everyone knows how much I love the club," Elliott said after the match. "I've supported them from a very young age so the feeling never goes of putting the shirt back on and representing the club.

"It's a childhood dream. Every time I put the shirt on I want to give it 100 per cent.

"[Last season] I wanted a new challenge. I wanted to kind of go and explore something, come out of my comfort zone, [something] that I thought personally would take me on as a player.

"Unfortunately it didn't work out but the way I see it, that was last season. Now I'm here, it's kind of a second chance, if you want to call it that, especially with the gaffer and new coaching staff coming in, it's a chance to impress.

"I'm here now and I'm trying to cement my spot in the team or within the squad."

Elliott has continued to be linked with a possible move this summer, with Leeds, Sunderland and RB Leipzig among those reportedly interested.

"I'm wanting to be selfish, doing what's right for me," Elliott added. "Whether that's staying here and fighting for my place, or whether that's potentially going elsewhere I'm still unsure at the moment.

"But since the first day I walked through the door at the AXA [Training Centre] I've had a big beaming smile on my face. Putting the shirt on, I don't want to take these moments for granted because last season I thought it was the last opportunity to do it.

"Now I'm back here wearing the strip again. I just want to be free and play as much as I can and enjoy it because sometimes it feels like I don't do that enough."

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

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Former Liverpool boss Arne Slot is prioritising a return to club management in Europe's major leagues, despite links to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli on Thursday.

Al-Ahli's current manager, Matthias Jassle, is the leading contender to replace Eddie Howe at Newcastle.

But BBC Sport understands Slot is focused on remaining in Europe and is targeting a return, as and when the right opportunity presents itself.

Slot won the Premier League title with Liverpool in 2024-25 but was replaced by Andoni Iraola after the end of last season.

He was in charge of Feyenoord between 2021 and 2024, winning the Eredivisie in 2023.

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As Liverpool prepare their opening bid for Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola, there is "confusion" among Reds fans that they could spend a big chunk of their transfer budget on another forward.

PSG value Barcola at about £145m, but Liverpool are hoping to secure the France international's services for closer to £100m.

Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, Anfield Index Pro's Jim Boardman said: "For one thing, Liverpool's money perhaps needs to be spent on a centre-back."

Although Jeremy Jacquet has arrived from Rennes in a £60m deal, Andoni Iraola's side lack experience within their defensive unit.

Because of Virgil van Dijk's World Cup schedule, the Dutch defender has not travelled to the US for pre-season, and Iraola has been forced to use youngsters Luke Chambers, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye. Joe Gomez provides senior cover but came off injured against Sunderland last week, while 19-year-old Giovanni Leoni is still recovering from a serious knee inujry.

Van Dijk has returned to the AXA Training Centre to begin pre-season training, but the 35-year-old captain will have to build a new centre-back partnership for the upcoming season.

While Boardman acknowledged the potential signing of Barcola was "exciting", he added: "I still feel worried that we're not going out there looking for someone who can be experienced cover at centre-back.

"We need to look at someone in that position. I am hoping we save some money to do that as well."

So far this summer, Liverpool have spent £94.5m on Jacquet and Spain winger Victor Munoz.

Listen to more below or on BBC Sounds here

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

After a record summer spend last season of £450m, Liverpool were disappointing on the pitch.

Ultimately, that led to the sacking of Arne Slot at the end of the campaign. Senior players like Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate all left on free transfers too.

It has been a summer of change at Liverpool with Michael Edwards stepping down as FSG's CEO of football, primarily because plans of multi-club ownership were abandoned.

Meanwhile, Richard Hughes, Liverpool's sporting director, is linked with a move to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. There is certainly a question of stability.

"Transition and change is inevitable in football. In our case, with a new coach coming in, there's real excitement around Andoni's [Iraola] mindset and philosophy that supporters will really enjoy," says CEO Billy Hogan.

"That will take time but in terms of transition, I would send a message that we are in a very healthy place as a football club - the leadership from ownership is in a very steady place and we're looking forward to the next season."

Hit play above to hear the full chat with Hogan or listen on BBC Sounds here

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Hogan insists that regardless of the personnel changes, the club model remains the same and they will continue to stick to their principles.

"It's important to keep in mind that last season, a considerable amount was invested but also generated in terms of sales of players going out," he says. "Over the course of FSG's stewardship, the investment has always been focused on doing what's best to put us in a place to win.

"Sometimes that means significant expense and other times it doesn't like in the summer of 2024 when there was only one addition (Federico Chiesa for £12.5m). It depends on where we are at the club and the improvements needed. Ultimately Mike Gordon, who is really our managing owner, will make those decisions."

There is an increased focus on the women's team too, who finished 11th in the WSL last season and haven't won the top-flight title since 2014.

"To be self-critical, that is probably an area that we maybe took our eye off the ball several years ago but we've changed that," says Hogan.

"We now have one of the best training centres at AXA Melwood, we are investing in the squad and we will approach the women's team the same way we approach the men's team - which is to run it sustainably. There's tremendous growth in the women's game and a huge opportunity going forward to really drive that."

Read more from Reds CEO Billy Hogan

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Liverpool beat Wrexham 1-0 in their second pre-season match in New York and new boss Andoni Iraola was full of praise for young midfielder Trey Nyoni.

The 19-year-old played the whole first half before being substituted for Curtis Jones.

"Trey is very good on the ball - very calm, he reads the situations well. We're forcing him in the work without the ball, in the press, and he is absolutely doing very well. I think the timings of the jumps are very good," Iraola told the club's website, external.

"He is always confident on the ball so we encourage him."

Nyoni made six appearances in the Premier League last season, all as a substitute.

Iraola believes there is more to come from Nyoni and said: "At the end, he is a midfielder who, I always say, you have to ask for the ball sometimes with pressure - and he doesn't feel this pressure.

"Even when he has one opponent quite close, he asks for that ball and he's confident, he doesn't rush. For me, that is very valuable."

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

With Liverpool stating that they have more than 26 million supporters in the USA, there is little surprise over why the Reds chose America as the destination for their pre-season tour.

This has been quite the summer for football here and Billy Hogan, CEO of Liverpool and Fenway Sports Group (FSG), insists the aim is to build on that after what has been a "super difficult year" for the club "for lots of different reasons".

Last week, FSG, which owns Liverpool, confirmed that a consortium led by Amit Bhatia, a British-Indian millionaire businessman, was in talks over a strategic minority investment in the club. Those talks have been ongoing and there is a growing belief that a deal will be done.

"Look, John Henry (the principal owner) and FSG have always said that if there was an interest in an investment that would help the football club, then they would consider it. That was said many years ago and that remains the case here," Hogan tells BBC Sport.

"At this point, I wouldn't say anything different to the statement that a consortium led, managed and represented by Amit Bhatia has come forward and expressed an interest in a minority investment."

Hogan, who has been with FSG since they purchased Liverpool for £300m in 2010, does stress though that they are still very much committed to the project and that news of this development should not be seen as a sign of the company, which also owns the Major League Baseball franchise, Boston Red Sox, stepping away.

According to the Financial Times, a deal with the consortium led by Bhatia would value Liverpool at more than £4.5bn.

"There's a huge opportunity still," Hogan says.

"We've definitely not peaked. We're in a good place to continue to grow and that's why everyone across both sides of the club, football and business and whether they kick a ball or not, is focused on driving the club forward and winning trophies.

"On the pitch, our goal every season is to win trophies. Off the pitch, our priority is to continue driving overall revenues and expand and build the club.

"We're really happy with the trajectory and direction of the club - we were fifth in the Deloitte Football Money League and had the highest revenue (£702m) in the Premier League.

"All of that investment, as has always been the case since 2010, goes back into the club. It's about running the club sustainably."

Read more from Reds CEO Billy Hogan

Inter Milan could rekindle their efforts to sign England midfielder Curtis Jones, 25, from Liverpool. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Liverpool won their second pre-season fixture of the summer 1-0 against Wrexham in New York, with youngster Rio Ngumoha finding the net via a deflection.

Andoni Iroala's side have now won their opening two pre-season games, after the Reds beat Sunderland 4-2 in Nashville.

Speaking to club media, Iraola said his side "were more solid" than the Sunderland game and that his team played more as a "collective".

"Slowly, slowly I hope every game we are closer and closer," Iraola said.

"We start to add new bodies, because now we are playing with a lot of the young players."

Iroala named an inexperienced starting XI, with Dominik Szoboszlai captaining the side.

Liverpool face Leeds United next in Chicago on 2 August (21:00 BST) and Iraola expects Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, and Jeremy Jacquet to gain their first pre-season minutes.

"We'll see how many minutes they can play, but we have to start slowly, slowly integrating more of the senior players that have had less training sessions," said Iraola.

"I think they should be ready on the weekend to have their first minutes."

Liverpool are preparing a move for Bradley Barcola so we asked if you think the quotation is a fair one. Paris St-Germain value the 23-year-old at around £145m, while the Reds think any deal should be around £100m.

Here are some of your comments:

John: Truly flabbergasted at his price. Not denying his quality and potential but when you hear Vinicius Jr is valued at £137m you have to give your head a scratch.

Lee: He's proved his worth. A big signing for the new manager makes sense, get the season started with a buzz. Realistically we still need to look at the back four conundrum though.

Kate: I think its scandalous the amount of money paid for these players! It's going up and up. If you want the best around then they know you'll pay but look what happened last season. I'm on the fence here, I do want Barcola but at that price, I think we should invest in quality, experienced defenders instead. We don't want a weak backline. Iraola knows how to get the best out of what we've got. We need defenders.

• Watch Barcola's pace as he scores against England

Andrew: Ridiculous amount of money. Can Barcola actually last a full 90 minutes? He seemed to be subbed between 60 and 70 mins. I hope that proves to be wrong if we buy him.

Paul: There appears to be enough attacking options already surely last year showed the need is in defence. Make the back line solid and build out from there.

Stu: Barcola would be a good signing but he's not worth anywhere near £100m, never mind £145m. He's a squad player at PSG. If they won't accept £70m max then move on to someone else.

Dan: I happen to highly rate Barcola, one of those players who seems like he's been around for years and years then you realise he's only 23. During PSG's campaign anytime he was brought on he was a threat, maybe not the most polished finisher but a real threat and he has incredible pace as seen during France's World Cup run. Do I think he's worth £145m? Absolutely not. In today's market I'd have said between £60-£80m. A player with potential - young and fast but he's sat on PSG's bench all season.

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool have stepped up their interest in Paris St-Germain forward Bradley Barcola and are preparing an opening bid.

The 23-year-old has been identified as the primary option for Liverpool, as they look to replace Mohamed Salah who left the club at the end of last season.

The France winger is valued at around £145m. Such a fee would break the British transfer record, but those at Anfield are keen on striking a deal closer to the £100m-mark.

Barcola has two years left on his current contract, but he is understood to be keen on a move and a new challenge after falling down the pecking order at Paris St-Germain.

How would you feel about this signing? Do you think Bradley Barcola is worth £145m?

Get in touch with your views here

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool's pre-season plans were disrupted on Tuesday with the squad unable to fly to New York City from Chicago due to adverse weather conditions.

Andoni Iraola's side are scheduled to take on Wrexham at the Yankee Stadium at 7.30pm local time on Wednesday (12.30am BST on Thursday morning).

Heavy rain and thunderstorms left New York under a flood watch - completely disrupting air travel on Tuesday - and the squad are now scheduled to travel today from Chicago, which has been their training base for their pre-season tour.

An event was held in New York on Tuesday evening to launch Liverpool's new Adidas away kit where some first-team players were expected to attend but were subsequently unable to take part.

After the game against Wrexham, the Reds head back to Chicago where they will conclude their tour with a game against Leeds.

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Paul Salt and Mike Hughes discuss Liverpool legends Mark Lawrenson and Sammy Lee as their A-Z of Liverpool players reaches the letter L.

Lee and Lawrenson won a host of honours while with the Reds.

Hughes told Salt: "It was that telescopic outstretched leg with diving in to get the challenge in, where it was almost his signature movement, wasn't it? Signature challenge. And one of the great Liverpool defenders of all time, Mark Lawrenson.

"He was immaculate as a footballer. You mentioned his reading of the game and the understanding that he had with Alan Hansen in particular, his pace, his general pace. Very rarely was he outsmarted on the field. He was just a terrific footballer."

Salt added: "Were it not for the emergence of Virgil van Dijk, I think Hansen and Lawrenson would be my centre-back partnership in any kind of all-time 11."

Sammy Lee played for Liverpool during their late-1970s and 1980s era, winning five league titles, four League Cups, two European Cups, and earning 14 England caps.

"Sammy Lee was the epitome of pass and move," Hughes added.

"And when Liverpool were moving the ball around the pitch, Sammy Lee would always look, if at all possible, to pass it forward, to break the lines, as we say in this sort of modern footballing terminology.

"He wanted to make sure that Liverpool were moving the ball around, moving the opposition around and was a fantastic team-mate.

"So much energy, so much drive and you look at what he achieved and what Liverpool won when Sammy Lee was playing for them - it's a formidable array of silverware, isn't it?"

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here

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Liverpool have released their new away kit for the 2026-27 season, which is a white shirt with three red stripes down the arm.

The away strip has been inspired by "Liverpool's away kits from the mid-80s" and is completed with red shorts and white socks.

The Reds' goalkeeper away kit is predominantly purple, featuring black arms.

Liverpool will wear the new shirt in their pre-season fixture against Wrexham on 29 July (00:00 BST).

Image source, Liverpool FC

Paris St-Germain and France forward Bradley Barcola, 23, has verbally agreed to join Liverpool, but there is no certainty over a move as there is a significant gap between the two clubs on the fee. (L'Equipe - in French), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Video assistant referees should only be used to change "blatantly incorrect" decisions and clear missed incidents, say European refereeing officials.

Chief refereeing officers from all 55 European national football associations met last week with Uefa refereeing officials and a representative from the International Football Association Board (Ifab) to address recent changes to the game's laws.

Attendees said "lengthy, microscoping reviews" indicate VAR has gone beyond its original scope.

When VAR was added to the laws of the game in 2018 by football's rulemakers Ifab, its "philosophy" was "minimum interference - maximum benefit", with the intention of reducing "unfairness caused by clear and obvious errors or serious missed incidents" relating to goals, penalties, direct red cards and mistaken identity.

Uefa said that at its recent meeting that refereeing bosses agreed a return to those original aims is needed.

"It was reiterated that, in accordance with protocol, VAR must only intervene in situations of 'clear and obvious' error, ie. when a referee decision is blatantly incorrect or when the referee has missed a clear incident," Uefa said in a statement.

"VAR is not meant to re-referee the game, it is an essential support to the referees, who must remain at the centre of all decision-making.

"Lengthy, microscoping reviews are often a symptom revealing that the decision on the field was not clearly and obviously incorrect, and should therefore be limited."

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter in New York City

Image source, Getty Images

Two centre-backs caught the eye of Liverpool's scouting department at the U17 World Cup in Qatar last November.

Within weeks, the club spent a combined £3.5m on the pair: Senegal's Mor Talla Ndiaye and Austria's Ifeanyi Ndukwe.

Under Matt Newberry, Liverpool's head of global talent, this was evidence of future planning in full flow.

Yet surely no-one inside the club would have expected the teenage duo to be the centre-back pairing for most of Liverpool's opening pre-season fixture.

With Joe Gomez forced off by injury in the eighth minute against Sunderland, and neither Jeremy Jacquet nor Giovanni Leoni fit to play, Liverpool have a problem at the heart of their defence.

Looking long term is one thing, but the Reds need reinforcements now.

Even before the injury, new head coach Andoni Iraola said his squad was "very thin" defensively.

Gomez was absent from Liverpool's training session in Chicago on Sunday and an update on the severity of his injury is expected this week.

He is Liverpool's longest-serving current player but has now missed 225 games because of injury, according to Transfermarkt, since signing from Charlton in 2015.

Virgil van Dijk is the club's only fit senior centre-back. The Liverpool captain is 35 and played every minute in the Premier League last season, but he is not the force that he used to be.

The Dutchman, like Gomez, is also into the last year of his contract at Anfield. There is a possibility both players will move on next summer.

One of the reasons why Liverpool allowed Ibrahima Konate to leave on a free transfer and join Real Madrid was because they felt Jacquet, 21, and Leoni, 19, whose transfers weighed in at £60m and £26m respectively, were the best young centre-backs in France and Italy.

Perhaps they will prove inspired signings, with Jacquet in line to make his debut against Leeds on Sunday.

Liverpool will give them every opportunity to fulfil their potential, but right now, just like Ndiaye and Ndukwe, both are far from the finished product.

"We need players - it's fairly obvious," former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler told BBC Sport in New York, where the Reds take on Wrexham at 00:30 BST on Wednesday.

"I'm very sad for Joe Gomez, who has been so unfortunate with injuries. This could have been a real chance to cement his place and for him to show that we don't need another centre-half.

"We've spent money on Jacquet and Leoni, and the guidance that Joe and Virgil can give from their experience to the young lads is telling.

"We won't see the best version of the young lads yet, but you do need that experience in the squad. And yes, the manager's been on record saying that we need players and I would not be surprised if another centre-half is in that conversation."

Read more on Liverpool's defensive problems here

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Ryan Gravenberch is hopeful Liverpool will improve on their disappointing campaign last season and wants to step up as a "leader" in 2026-27.

The 24-year-old formed part of Arne Slot's title-winning side in 2024-25 but was also involved in a disappointing fifth-placed finish last season, prompting the dismissal of the Dutch head coach.

New manager Andoni Iraola has been tasked with reviving the Reds and speaking about his new boss, Gravenberch said: "Just the principles that he has, with the intensity he plays, what he did with his former club he did a really great job. So, I'm really excited for what he will bring to the team.

"With Bournemouth it's a really great job. When we played against them it was always a tough game, so I think he did a really good job and hopefully he can do it here as well."

Gravenberch also reflected on his performance last term and is aiming for personal improvement when the season begins for the Reds at Newcastle on 23 August.

He told Liverpool's website: "If I look back to last season, it was not the best season I had as well. And I want to show myself this season more and more.

"I want to be more of a leader now for the team, I think. So that's what my aim is this season."