Liverpool already dealt summer transfer blow as Arne Slot has worrying issue to solve

may not have been active in the transfer window, but was dealt a hammer blow the day after it closed. The club resisted the temptation to bring reinforcements in to bolster their squad depth, despite the prospect of a frenzied schedule as they fight for silverware on four fronts.

Slot’s side sit top of the by six points and are also through to the last-16 of the , after finishing at the top of the 36-team table in the new format.

And this week, they face two domestic cup matches in four days – heading to on Thursday for the second-leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final before going to Plymouth in the on Sunday.

Despite the inactivity, however, Fenway Sports Group are reportedly lining up summer targets. But their hopes of addressing the most problematic area of Slot’s squad have now been dashed by developments in Germany.

have been heavily linked with a move for left-back Alphonso Davies, whose contract had been due to expire at the end of the 2024/25 campaign. were also said to be in the running, amid reports talks over a new deal at Bayern for the Canadian international had broken down.

Despite his side’s form, the left side of defence has been a headache for the Dutch manager with having endured a tough campaign. Kostas Tsimikas has also failed to convince when stepping in, and Davies was seen as one candidate as a long-term replacement for the Scot.

But on Tuesday, it was confirmed the 24-year-old had penned a new four-and-a-half-year deal with the club. And Davies reacted by declaring himself delighted to have finalised his future.

“I am very happy to have extended my contract at this great club,” he said. “I came to Bayern when I was 18 and just wanted to learn as much as possible every day to become one of the best in my position. Now I’m looking forward to another five years together.”

Not only would the signing of Davies have been a major coup for the Reds, but his initial contract situation would have saved them a sizeable transfer fee. And now Slot faces having to look elsewhere to solve his main issue.

Another left-back to have been linked with is Bournemouth star Milos Kerkez. Despite the Cherries , the Hungarian turned in an impressive display, and afterwards Slot was asked about his club’s potential interest.

“He’s playing over here, he’s having a great season as many, many, many other players here are as well,” he said. “But I don’t think I have to talk about players who we might be interested in.”