Liverpool begin work on blockbuster first Slot transfer with player Klopp adored facing cut-price exit

Arne Slot has given Liverpool the thumbs up to push through the signing of Johan Bakayoko with initial talks over a deal reportedly underway – but a player very much appreciated by Jurgen Klopp looks increasingly likely to leave as a result.

A new era is underway on Merseyside with Slot trusted as the man to step into the very sizeable shoes of Jurgen Klopp, who has sailed off into the Majorcan sunset after burning himself out after an intense – but hugely-successful – near nine-year spell at Liverpool. Leaving Feyenoord for Anfield will be quite the leap, but given his similar man-management style and the tactics he adopts, the belief from within the Merseyside club is that any transition will not be too great.

As a result, talks are underway at how best to not only protect Klopp’s Liverpool legacy – but build on it.

The 45-year-old – brought to Anfield on an initial three-year deal – has assembled his own background staff with Sipke Hulshoff arriving as his No 2, while Ruben Peeters will take on the role of lead physical performance coach and Fabian Otte is due to arrive at their Kirkby training base as head of first-team goalkeeper coaching once his Copa America duties with USA are through.

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Slot, though, has also been told there will be money to spend this summer and that is where things will really start getting exciting for supporters.

And having held initial talks with CEO of football Michael Edwards and new sporting director Richard Hughes, TEAMtalk understands that Slot has two priority positions he wants to sign this summer with a new left-sided centre-half and a holding midfielder top of his wishlist.

Liverpool ‘willing to let’ Luis Diaz leave

A new attacker could also be sought if Luis Diaz – tipped to become the first major casualty of the Slot era on Anfield – and a new goalkeeper – if Caiomhin Kelleher gets his wish to leave – could also be sought if either of the pair move on.

However, with Diaz seemingly no longer seen as a player off limits, a report earlier this week claimed the Reds are not only open to Diaz’s sale but are actually imploring Barcelona to take the player off their hands having set a cut-price fee on his signature.

Diaz moved to Anfield in an initial £37.5m move in January 2022, with the deal eventually topping £50m once bonuses and add-ons were factored in.

But the Colombian’s chances of making that €60m transfer a success have ultimately been riddled by a number of personal issues.

Undoubtedly, there was great sympathy for Diaz and the trauma he will have gone through by the kidnapping of his mother and father by  Colombian criminals and so-called liberationists, the National Liberation Army back in October.

And while they were both ultimately released unharmed, the affect it will have had on the player cannot be underestimated.

Diaz has also been plaugued by a number of fitness issues while at Anfield, the most serious of which was the knee injury sustained against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in the autumn of 2022 that kept him sidelined for over four months.

There have been flashes, though, of what he is about, though the 24 goals and 11 assists from 98 appearances have maybe not been as prolific as the Reds may have expected.

As a result, reports in Spain believe Slot has cleared the way for the 27-year-old to leave this summer for acut-price fee of €50m (£42.3m).

Liverpool transfers: Talks open on Johan Bakayoko deal

As far as Liverpool are concerned, Slot already appears to have identified his replacement in the form of explosive PSV Eindhoven winger Bakayoko, though the left-footed attacker more commonly plays on the same right-wing slot occupied by Mo Salah.

The 21-year-old produced 14 goals and 14 assists for PSV last season as they cruised to Eredivisie title success; form which has alerted some of European football’s big spenders.

However, few are more keen on a deal for Bakayoko than Liverpool and reports in the Netherlands now claim the Reds have opened talks over a possible move for the Belgium international.

According to Dagblad, the Reds have been quoted a fee of €50m for Bakayoko, though as reporter Rik Elfrink claims, any deal will have to wait until after Belgium’s interests in the European Championships come to an end.

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‘Only after the European Championship will Johan Bakayoko make a decision about his sporting future, sources close to him say. There is a good chance that it is located outside Eindhoven,’ Elfrink said in a hint of possible Liverpool interest.

‘In any case, the attacker is focusing entirely on the European Championship for the time being.

‘If there is any talk, his management does the talking. PSV and Bakayoko’s business environment expect that a transfer will only be finalized in July, when it has become clear how Belgium performed at the European Championship. Fixing the lost match against Slovakia is now a top priority.’

Bayern Munich had been among the clubs also considering a move for Bakayoko, though they have instead agreed a deal Michael Olise, who is set to move to the Allianz Arena from Crystal Palace, but leaving Liverpool with a clear run of Bakayoko.