Liverpool's difficulties this season have been extensive. The Reds' extraordinary foray into the transfer market last summer was meant to usher in a fresh era of supremacy, yet those aspirations have failed to come to fruition. Their staggering £450million outlay secured some of the most sought-after players in world football.

From Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak for record fees to Milos Kerkez and Hugo Ekitike, Arne Slot appeared to have struck gold when it came to securing talent for the future. As it transpired, integrating players can require time, as can reconstructing a team that comfortably won the Premier League last season.

The Reds are now confronting another summer of transition, after a 2-0 loss in the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain, with Slot's future uncertain and several players linked with a move to Anfield.

Today's news sees club icon Steven Gerrard identify his preferred transfer target for the club this summer, while former manager Jurgen Klopp has addressed fans.

Gerrard's preferred transfer

Gerrard has championed the Reds to sign Bayern Munich's Michael Olise this summer, but the Champions League-winning icon also believes the club should look to re-sign club hero Luis Diaz. Diaz departed Liverpool last summer, joining Bayern for £65m.

The Colombian winger has dazzled in the Bundesliga this season and against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night, helping Bayern secure a 2-1 advantage heading into the second leg.

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"All day long," Gerrard responded when quizzed on TNT Sports about whether he'd like to see Olise at Liverpool. "But the problem is, why would he leave Bayern Munich? Big club, they're challenging for the big honours, probably the strongest Bayern Munich team we've seen for a while.

"He's about to take the World Cup by storm come the summer, he looks like a really happy kid, settled... I don't think he's going anywhere. But yes, I would love him at Liverpool, and you know what? I wouldn't mind Diaz back as well."

Gerrard also weighed in on the topic on talkSPORT, discussing how the club might replace Mohamed Salah, who is due to leave at the end of the campaign. He added: "I think the concern, if you're trying to replace Salah, in terms of like, for like, I think there's very few out there that you can go and grab.

"Olise would be one, I would say, but I don't think he'd be available, but from experience, being around Liverpool as a player, and also since I've left, Liverpool's recruitment team will have different options, and that doesn't necessarily mean they'll look for a like-for-like.

"When we had to replace [Sadio] Mane, for example, we went for Diaz, who's slightly different, or when [Luis] Suarez has left, they've had different types of options to try and replace the players."

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Klopp's verdict

Klopp has expressed his gratitude to Liverpool supporters for their backing throughout his nine years at Anfield. The legendary German reflected on his remarkable tenure at the club during an appearance on That Peter Crouch podcast.

The former Reds manager was at the helm for nearly a decade before departing in May 2024, claiming every major honour available to the club, including a first league title in 30 years in 2020 and the club's sixth Champions League triumph in 2019.

The now-head of global soccer at Red Bull was recently welcomed back as a hero upon his return to Anfield to oversee a Liverpool Legends match against his former side, Borussia Dortmund.

Speaking to former Liverpool striker Crouch, Klopp said: "I mean we had a good time and nobody, I mean it, nobody has to say thank you to me or whatever and I hear it quite often.

"Because I have to say thank you for the exact same reasons. I do it all the time when I see people: 'Oh thank you, for supporting us over the years.' So it is just what we needed was what we experienced and it just was our life. We tried to do absolutely everything to be as successful as possible and it worked sometimes, sometimes it didn't.

"We failed big, we failed in moments and the thing is this is what I always wanted, when I am old, looking back and having a smile on my face. Nobody can think back to these nine years without a smile on their face because it was just great. Everything about it, how connected we were.

"So I understand 100 per cent why people are happy when they see me because I stand for this period. And I am as happy as they are when I see them because they stand for this period."