Liverpool need to balance the books.
This summer Richard Hughes has already overseen around £100m worth of spending.
Victor Munoz has been signed from Osasuna for around £34m while a deal to bring Jeremy Jacquet to the club this off-season was tied up for around £60m during the winter window.
Fans have been crying out for more new signings - wingers in particular - but it looks likely that players will be moved on to accommodate new faces.
Chiesa and Elliott futures in doubt
Following a £450m summer transfer splurge last year the 2024/25 Premier League champions are going to struggle to match Paris Saint-Germain’s £145m valuation of Bradley Barcola for example.
That means plenty in Andoni Iraola’s first Liverpool squad are facing up to increasing transfer uncertainty.
On Sunday the Reds played two matches against Como - the first a behind-closed-doors affair at the AXA Training Centre comprising two 35-minute halves.
Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott were among the starters and crucially were not asked back for the showcase fixture in front of a full house at Anfield versus the same opponent later on in the day.
And according to a report in the Liverpool Echo those exclusions point the way to the exit door for two players who have failed to grasp their opportunities this preseason.
Chiesa and Elliott have failed Iraola auditions
“The portents, then, do not augur well in the immediate future for Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott,” the report reads.
“Throughout an underwhelming pre-season, Elliott has looked very much a player who has had hardly any football over the previous two years, while Chiesa has shown little sign the approach of Iraola favours him more than that of Arne Slot.”
Elliott has returned to Anfield following an underwhelming loan at Aston Villa with only one year left on his contract.
The Merseysiders have no chance of earning the £35m on Elliott that Villa pledged last year and may have to settle for a lot less for the 23-year-old.
Chiesa meanwhile has struggled to convince since joining the 20-times champions of England back in 2024.
He has been linked with a move back to Serie A but Italian teams have been unwilling - or unable - to match his contract demands as well as satisfying Liverpool’s request for a transfer fee.
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Curtis Jones moves closer to Inter Milan deal
There is another player however who has scarcely featured in the preseason campaign in recent weeks - ostensibly due to a hip injury.
Curtis Jones, 25, now looks destined for Inter Milan with sporting director Hughes now reportedly willing to settle for £30m for the homegrown midfielder.
“Throw in the continued intrigue over Curtis Jones - the official word, amid ongoing speculation over increased interest from Inter, was he remained absent with the hip problem that ruled him out last weekend against Monaco - and a picture is perhaps being painted for the forthcoming weeks,” the report reads.
Those three sales could put plenty of cash in the register for Hughes and Iraola - who need a winger before the transfer deadline in early September.
Liverpool’s only fee banked for an outgoing player in the current transfer period remains the £700k paid by Bolton Wanderers for Luca Stephenson - itself a very low price for a player of his calibre.
“But having raised just £700,000 from sales so far this summer, it would be a surprise if the Reds didn’t cash in on one or two of their fringe players before the deadline,” the report reads.
It’s clear the scales will need to balance - otherwise we may well see the Anfield club miss out on signing Barcola or another player in his place.