As the end of the summer transfer window edges closer, Henry Jackson looks at eight Liverpool FC players who could still leave this month.
With three weeks of the transfer window remaining, Reds boss Brendan Rodgers clearly needs to decrease the size of his squad.
With large amounts of money once again spent on new recruits this summer, balancing the books somewhat and disposing of some of the deadwood becomes paramount.
There are some Reds players who clearly have no future at Anfield from now onwards, while some are being linked with surprising moves away from Merseyside.
These are the eight players we believe could still potentially leave Liverpool before the end of this month:
Lucas Leiva is Liverpool’s longest serving player, having joined in the summer of 2007, but his days at Liverpool look numbered following a reported falling out with Rodgers.
The Brazilian is rumoured to now be the fifth-choice midfielder at the club, behind Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Emre Can and Joe Allen, which has not sat well with him.
The 28-year-old will clearly not be satisfied with playing such a bit-part role in the squad in 2015/16, and it makes sense for both parties from him to move on.
Lucas has been a terrific servant to the club, and has responded admirably after a terrible start to life with the Reds, but he is no longer the force he once was.
If he does leave, it will be unforgivable if Rodgers does not bring in a replacement defensive midfielder.
Likelihood: 4/5
Mario Balotelli
It has been relatively clear since day one that Rodgers never really wanted Mario Balotelli at Liverpool in the first place, with the Italian more of a panic buy than anything.
The former Inter and AC Milan striker endured a dreadful first year on Merseyside in 2014/15, scoring just four goals in 28 appearances and proving troublesome at times.
The 25-year-old has now fallen even further down the pecking order in attack, following the arrival of Christian Benteke and Danny Ings, and surely has no future at the club.
Plenty of other teams have shown an interest in purchasing Balotelli, most notably in his homeland, and it is now just a case of someone matching Liverpool’s valuation of the player.
Likelihood: 4.5/5
Fabio Borini
While there are some who would like Balotelli to stay at Liverpool for one more season, not many are exactly rooting for Fabio Borini to remain a Red.
The former Chelsea youngster dug his claws in last summer and ensured he remained at Anfield for another year, but he found the net just once all season and showed very little in terms of quality.
The 24-year-old has been deemed surplus to requirements by Rodgers, with Benteke and Ings both seen as clear upgrades on him up front.
Fiorentina seems to be Borini’s most likely destination, although West Ham are among a number of other clubs who have expressed an interest in acquiring his signature.
Borini never looked Liverpool quality from the moment he arrived in 2012.
Likelihood: 5/5
Lazar Markovic is a player who has not been given a fair crack of the whip yet at Liverpool, and selling him this summer would be a needless move by Rodgers.
The young Serb was left out of the matchday squad against Stoke City on Sunday, which raised eyebrows with regards to his future.
There is huge potential in the 21-year-old, if played in his best position, but he has his work cut out in terms of playing regularly this season.
A Europa League role seems the most likely option right now, rather than Liverpool selling him, but his Premier League chances look very limited for the time being.
The former Benfica man is definitely worth persevering with, and it is easy to forget that it was only a year or so ago that he was billed as “one of the best talents I’ve ever seen at 19 years of age”, by ex-Chelsea manager Avram Grant.
Likelihood: 3/5
Like Markovic, Alberto Moreno was somewhat frozen out during much of pre-season, and has lost his place in the team to the impressive Joe Gomez.
The Spanish left-back will surely remain at Liverpool, given the lack of depth at left-back and his undoubted potential, but Rodgers is definitely showing a more ruthless edge in getting rid of players.
Moreno was hit and miss during his first season with the Reds, but to write the 23-year-old off already would be very unfair.
There is every chance that Gomez may suffer a dip in form as he takes time to get used to the Premier League, and that may well be Moreno’s chance to regain his place in the team.
Likelihood: 2/5
Jose Enrique
The most damning thing you can say about Jose Enrique is that he is now appreciated more for his social media presence than as a footballer.
The 29-year-old has drifted more and more into obscurity at Anfield in the last year or two, and he must be sold before the transfer window closes.
The Spaniard now has both Gomez and Moreno ahead of him, and like Glen Johnson, he is now more of a liability on the pitch than an asset.
Enrique is rumoured to be on the verge of joining West Brom, and assuming he does move on, it would end a disappointing four-year stay on Merseyside.
Likelihood: 4/5
Mamadou Sakho
Selling Mamadou Sakho would be one of Rodgers’ greatest errors, but the Northern Irishman does seem to be strangely unconvinced by the France international.
He has already made it clear that Dejan Lovren will start ahead of the 25-year-old at centre-back, which despite the Croatian’s excellent performance against Stoke, has stunned many.
Sakho is the best defender at the club when he gets a run of games and stays injury-free, and he will surely not be happy about the current state of affairs.
With Kolo Toure the only other experienced, recognised centre-back in the Liverpool squad, it makes absolutely no sense for Sakho to be sold. Will he demand a transfer though?
Likelihood: 1.5
There were many Reds supporters who knew little about Ryan Kent before the summer, but some dazzling cameos in pre-season, most notably at Swindon Town, showed what huge potential he has.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder is one of the most exciting young players at Anfield, and now would be a perfect time for him to gain some invaluable first-team experience in the lower divisions.
With players like Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana, among others, all currently occupying Kent’s position in the team, it makes little sense for him to watch from the sidelines.
He is a good enough to thrive in a Championship side on loan for a season, and much like Jordon Ibe when he was at Derby, he would likely benefit from it greatly.
Likelihood: 3/5
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