By Tyler Eaton
Home-grown Liverpool duo Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones could be used in swap deals to acquire key targets this summer, reports from The Times and The Guardian suggest.
Credit: BBC / Liverpool Echo
Elliott, who recently returned from a disappointing loan spell with Aston Villa, could be used to lower the fee for one of Liverpool’s top transfer targets. Meanwhile, Jones, who is entering the final year of his contract on Merseyside, is a top target for Inter Milan, who may have an experienced defender to offer in exchange.
Liverpool’s interest in RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande has been no secret. The 19-year-old winger scored 12 goals and registered eight assists in 33 appearances this season. The Bundesliga side value their young star at around £86 million, so the Reds may offer Elliott, who Leipzig have previously shown interest in, to help lower the fee.
Liverpool’s interest in RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande has been no secret. The 19-year-old winger scored 12 goals and registered eight assists in 33 appearances this season. The Bundesliga side value their young star at around £86 million, so the Reds may offer Elliott, who Leipzig have previously shown interest in, to help lower the fee.
Credit: Liverpool.com
The Times have reported that Liverpool have shown interest in Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries, who’s described as having a release clause of around £22 million. Liverpool value Inter Milan target Jones at around £35 million. The Italian side could use their defender to negotiate a lower fee.
If Elliott and Jones both depart this summer, Liverpool could put themselves in squad registration jail. Eight homegrown players are needed for the Reds’ Premier League and Champions League squads. The current home-grown quota at Anfield is filled with back-up goalkeepers and fringe players.
Credit: Tribuna.com
Liverpool’s current home-grown pool includes Freddie Woodman, Vitezslav Jaros, Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, Jones, Elliott, James McConnell, and Stefan Bajcetic. Going through with the rumored transfers would see the Reds lose the most experienced Premier League-ready players from that list.
Forgotten man Bajcetic, who hasn’t played for the club since May 2024, is now a homegrown player as he spent three years with Liverpool between the ages of 16 and 21.
There are three things Liverpool can do to solve or put a Band-Aid over this problem. The first would be to accept a smaller squad. The Reds don’t need eight homegrown players if they don’t fill their 25-man squad. This wouldn’t go down well with fans, especially with all the injury problems Arne Slot’s side faced this season.
The second would be to properly integrate the younger players into the first team. McConnell, Bajcetic, Nyoni, and Danns would need to stay injury-free and improve considerably as the season went on for this option to work.
The third and most expensive option would be for the Reds to go and sign some more homegrown players. Adam Wharton, Anthony Gordon, Jarod Bowen, and Levi Colwill could all be on the move this summer. Liverpool should swoop in and sign one of them to add a quality homegrown player to their squad.
Dumfries and Diomande would both be superb additions at Anfield, but Liverpool need to be careful that their eagerness to upgrade doesn’t leave them scrambling to meet registration rules.
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