According to reports, Liverpool have ‘made a U-turn’ over whether to let a key player leave in 2026 amid interest from European clubs.

Liverpoolhave had a hectic couple of months as they spent over ￡400m on a significant summer overhaul after winning their 20th Premier League title.

Head coach Arne Slotwas given a licence to build his own squad in the summer, with Liverpool breaking the British transfer record twice to sign Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. They also invested heavily to land Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.

These signings filled the void left by Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliot and Jarell Quansah, though Liverpool have slumped into a crisis in recent months.

Liverpool went on a run of losing six games in seven across all competitions to fall from the top of the Premier League, but they bounced back at the weekend to beat Aston Villa 2-o. This leaves the Reds third in the table after ten games.?

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Liverpool will be keen to kick on from this result, but they have a testing run before the international break as they face Real Madrid in the Champions League group stages on Tuesday and Man City in the Premier League on Sunday.

The struggles of Liverpool’s summer signings have contributed to their woes this season, with Kerkez among their weak links.

Kerkez was signed as a long-term replacement for Andy Robertson, though he has been taken out of the firing line of late and has been replaced by the Scotland international in Liverpool’s starting XI.

The ex-Bournemouth star’s move to Liverpool has fuelled speculation linking Robertson with an exit, as Atletico Madrid were heavily linked with the experienced defender in the summer.

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Robertson is due to become a free agent in 2026, but a report from Football Insiderclaims Liverpool have ‘made a U-turn’ on his future as they ‘plan to extend his contract’.

Virgil van Dijk is another Liverpool player whose future has been in doubt over the past year, with the centre-back’s previous contract due to expire at the end of last season.

He eventually shut down exit talk by penning a new contract, though Spanish outlet Diario ASclaims his ‘unfulfilled’ transfer ‘dream’ is a move to Real Madrid as he lobbied for a move to the La Liga giants before extending his deal with Liverpool.

Regarding Robertson, former Premier League chief scout Mick Brown explained: “Robertson is still an important player for Liverpool. When they’re playing well, it’s easy to talk about the likes of Mohamed Salah or the other attacking players who usually grab the headlines.

“But since he came in to Liverpool, Robertson has been just as big a part of the success they have had over a number of years and even last season.

“I understand why they decided to sign Kerkez, because he was fantastic for Bournemouth. He’s seen as the long-term replacement for Robertson given time, but they seemed to rush it a bit, putting him straight in and taking Robertson out.

“Now, he’s struggled a bit, and Robertson has come back into the side and showed once again he can be a reliable option for them despite their recent struggles. He’s coped well with their dip in form, which is very much to his credit, and Liverpool will certainly have taken note about how important he is in that side.

“In terms of his contract, I’d be very surprised if they were willing to let him leave now. He has showed once again how important he is there, and even if he is slowly phased out and replaced by Kerkez, they’ll want to do that over a couple of seasons, not immediately.”