Liverpool manager Arne Slot has enjoyed a fruitful summer transfer window in his second year in charge of the club, after Federico Chiesa was his only signing in 2024.
Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and Hugo Ekitike have all come through the door at Anfield to bolster the Dutchman’s options across the park.
The focus is now turning to further exits from the club, after Luis Diaz’s move to Bayern Munich, as Liverpool have accepted an offer from Al Hilal for centre-forward Darwin Nunez.
Fabrizio Romano reports that the Pro League team are set to pay an initial fee of around £46m for the striker, who is poised to agree a three-year contract with Al Hilal to leave England after three years on Merseyside.
Nunez may not be the only high-profile exit to come later this month, though, as Harvey Elliott may also be on his way out of Anfield to move to the Bundesliga.
Romano claims that RB Leipzig are in contract talks with the England U21 international and have made him a priority target to replace Xavi Simons this summer.
Why Harvey Elliott may leave Liverpool
According to Romano, Elliott ‘loves’ Liverpool and would like to stay at the club, but is currently exploring his options because of a potential lack of game time next season.
The English whiz is said to have seen the new signings come through the door this summer and has realised that it may be too difficult for him to get enough opportunities to impress.
Elliott is a terrific young talent, as evidenced by his five goals in six matches at the U21 European Championship this summer, and it would be a blow for the Reds to lose a prospect with his ability.
However, it is hard to begrudge his desire to explore options elsewhere when you consider how his minutes on the pitch dropped after Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the dugout at Anfield.
Appearances
34
18
Starts
11
2
Minutes
1,367
399
Goals
3
1
Big chances created
5
1
Assists
6
2
As you can see in the table above, Elliott found game time harder to come by under the Dutch coach after playing a fairly important role under Klopp in the Premier League in the 2023/24 campaign.
Unfortunately, Slot did not see him as an important part of his side, as the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister, and Ryan Gravenberch were preferred ahead of him in the middle of the park.
Liverpool should, therefore, look to replace Elliott with a midfielder who is more likely to be utilised by the former Feyenoord head coach throughout the season.
Liverpool join the race for Juventus midfielder
According to Caught Offside, Liverpool have joined the race to sign Juventus central midfielder Douglas Luiz before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the former Aston Villa sensation is available for a fee of €40m (£35m), which has seemingly alerted a host of clubs to his availability.
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It states that Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, and West Ham United are also keeping an eye on his situation, which means that the Reds could face plenty of competition for his signature.
CaughtOffside adds that Liverpool are showing an interest in the Brazil international, but that it is Forest who are currently leading the race to sign the midfield maestro.
It now remains to be seen whether or not the Premier League champions will decide to seriously pursue a deal to win the race for the former Manchester City youngster, who could arrive at Anfield as a perfect replacement for Elliott.
Why Liverpool should sign Douglas Luiz
The Res should be looking to get a deal over the line for the Juventus talent before the end of the summer transfer window because he could be a better fit for what Slot is looking for.
As aforementioned, Elliott did not get much game time in the Premier League last season. That may have been because he is a unique and creative midfielder who lacks outstanding physical attributes, which means that he needs to play in an attacking role or in a team that is built around him.
Luiz, however, is a versatile and physically strong midfielder who can play as a number six or as a number eight in a 4-3-3 system, which makes him far more suited to what Slot needs in the middle of the park.
The Brazilian star, who played 19 times in the Serie A for Juventus last season, is also a proven Premier League performer who can hit the ground running at Anfield in the 2025/26 campaign.
Luiz, who was hailed for his “exceptional” performances for Villa by Statman Dave, has 175 appearances in the Premier League in his career to date, which shows that he is an experienced operator at that level.
His form for the Villans and Unai Emery in his last two seasons in England also shows that he is a well-rounded midfielder who can offer quality in and out of possession.
Appearances
37
35
xG
2.83
6.97
Goals
6
9
Big chances created
7
10
Assists
6
5
Tackles + interceptions per game
3.1
2.4
Duel success rate
52%
51%
As you can see in the table above, Luiz is a box-to-box midfielder who can provide goals, assists, tackles, and interceptions for his side in the Premier League, whilst also holding his own in duels.
He also ranked within the top 36% of midfielders in the division for progressive passes per 90 (5.05) in the 2024/25 season, which shows that the Brazilian ace excels at playing between the lines to progress attacks for his side.
This suggests that Luiz suits playing in a deep-lying midfield role where he can break up attacks with tackles and interceptions, whilst having time and space to pick out progressive passes.
The 27-year-old star is, therefore, suited to playing as the number six as an alternative to Gravenberch, whilst his goal and assist return also suggest that he could play slightly further forward as a number eight to contribute at the top end of the pitch.
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Overall, Luiz would be the perfect ‘replacement’ for Elliott because he has a midfield profile that seems far more suited to what Slot wants in his three-man midfield, and he has the versatility to play in a defensive or offensive role, making him the ideal utility player for the Reds.