Liverpool

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Brighton midfielder James Milner says he will wear the number 20 shirt for the 2025-26 season as a "mark of respect" to former Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash last month.

Milner played alongside Jota for three seasons between 2020 and 2023 before leaving Anfield to join Brighton. The 39-year-old also travelled to Portugal for the funeral of Jota and his brother Andre Silva at the start of July.

Liverpool have retired the number 20 shirt worn by Jota in his five seasons at the club but Milner has opted to take the vacant shirt number at Brighton, after team-mate Carlos Baleba decided to switch numbers for the upcoming season.

Speaking to MyAlbion TV, external about his decision, Milner said: "Once I heard Carlos [Baleba] was looking to change his number and 20 was available, I wanted to do it as a mark of respect and to obviously pay tribute to Diogo Jota.

"He was an amazing player, who I was fortunate to play with, and he was a great friend as well.

"It will be a great honour to wear his number in the Premier League this year."

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Any transfer for Alexander will be seen as a "business decision" by Newcastle and factoring in time to buy his replacement will be key, says ESPN senior writer Mark Ogden.

Liverpool have now had an official bid for Isak rejected by Newcastle.

The Reds are already the top spenders so far this summer and it is expected they would have to pay a British-record fee for Isak's services.

"These transfers don't happen out of nowhere," Ogden told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"If Liverpool are sitting there comfortable and confident that Isak is going to be their player then it is because they probably know he wants to join them.

"Liverpool are a very, very appealing proposition to any player. We have to say that they are one of the biggest clubs in the world. Premier League champions right now, they are the place to be in the Premier League so they would appeal to anybody.

"If you are Alexander Isak – peak of your career, you want to win trophies, you are playing in the Champions League with Newcastle next season but, right now, it is who is going to offer you the best chance of winning the Champions League and the Premier League? It is Liverpool.

"Liverpool are sat there knowing they can get the deal done. If Newcastle's owners want to play hardball then they can do it, but football is run like a business. The view of the fans might be emotional but people in charge of things will not be emotional and if they think they can get £150m for this player having paid around £60m for him three year ago, they will be thinking they can invest that money in three or four top players.

"It will come down to a business decision and Liverpool probably know that.

"I think it will continue this summer, unless Newcastle make a decision that they want to end this now and get players in.

"But can you imagine Isak leaving for Liverpool, then having to play for Liverpool at St. James' Park a week into the season? That would be a really bad look for Newcastle.

"I think ultimately he will go to Liverpool, but he has to go with enough time that Newcastle can replace him. But the options to replace him aren't really there any more."

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Liverpool have launched their home and away kits for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Entering a new era with sponsor Adidas, the club have labelled their home kit 'Red, redefined' while a cream and black theme runs through the away strip.

What do you make of the Premier League champions' new threads?

Choose your verdict here

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter in Chicago

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Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot intends to keep only good memories of his Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota, someone he regards as a role model for life.

Along with United team-mate Bruno Fernandes, Dalot attended the funeral of Liverpool forward Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva, 25, who were killed in a car crash in Spain on 3 July.

Like Jota, Dalot was born in northern Portugal. The pair were at Porto at the same time and also overlapped in the Portugal Under-21 set-up before becoming international team-mates at senior level in 2021.

Dalot says he will never forget Jota.

"When you are talking about the personal side, I don't look at the shirt he represents," said 26-year-old.

"I played a lot of years with him in the national team and spent time with him, so you create a connection and memories. That's what I want to keep, the good memories.

"I don't think there are any words to describe it when such a tragedy happens like that. It hits you.

"I felt the whole world felt it, even if they didn't know him personally."

Dalot said he had seen shirts during Manchester United's Premier League Summer Series encounter with Bournemouth at Chicago's Soldier Field dedicated to Jota.

"He was someone who was a role model for me. I always like to see a player's behaviour when they play and when they don't play," Dalot added.

"He was always putting the team first."

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Liverpool have confirmed their squad numbers for next season with a couple of notable changes, while the summer's seven new arrivals have also been handed their shirts.

Record signing Florian Wirtz has taken number seven, made vacant following Luis Diaz' move to Bayern Munich this week.

Milos Kerkez is the Reds' new number six while Jeremie Frimpong has chosen number 30, the same he wore at previous club Bayer Leverkusen. Hugo Ekitike will wear the No.22 jersey.

In the goalkeeping department, Giorgi Mamardashvili is number 25, Freddie Woodman number 28 and Armin Pecsi number 41.

Meanwhile, Conor Bradley has switched from number 84 to number 12 and Trey Nyoni from number 98 to number 42.

Premier League duo Liverpool and Bournemouth have both opted not to match newly promoted Saudi Pro League side Neom SC's huge offer for Nantes' French defender Nathan Zeze, 20. (TBR Football), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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On Monday, we asked you to tell us why you fell in love with Liverpool and some of your favourite moments supporting them.

You have already been getting in touch with your photos and stories and here is just a taste from Kingsley:

In the sixties my grandad told me that Everton would win the league. I disagreed and said it would be Liverpool. The next year, in the only game available for us to watch on television Liverpool won the FA Cup, followed by another league title.

With the advent of the Beatles, Liverpool seemed a magical place, and at the age of 13 I begged my mother to let me go there. She said I could if I find a friend to go with, so I took my imaginary friend and found my way onto The Kop. That is where I have enjoyed so many amazing games since.

I should mention especially the 1972-73 season, when I saw all 42 games live, home and away, and got my first passport to see them lift the Uefa Cup in Germany.

The picture above is when we drove to Rome in 1977 in a Renault 6.

So join the conversation and send your best photos about why you love Liverpool.

Your first visit to the stadium? A special kit? An amazing away trip?

Send your pictures and stories here

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Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey believes the new recruits at Anfield will be given plenty of time to acclimatise to Merseyside, despite the weight that comes with playing for the Premier League champions.

The Reds have brought in five signings so far this summer in Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike and Armin Pecsi.

"It's a different pressure to any other club," Heskey told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"At the end of the day, it's one of the biggest clubs in the world. You can go anywhere and you'll see a Liverpool shirt so that tells a story in itself.

"One thing I will say is that Liverpool fans are a lot different to many clubs. They will give you all the time you need and more to be honest. They have always backed their players, they always get behind them as long as you work hard.

"We've got some fantastic young players coming in and I think they are used to playing under that pressure so I don't see that being a problem."

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Alex Keble
Football tactics writer

Liverpool's summer window has already been the most curious we have ever seen from a Premier League champion.

Signing Bundesliga stars en masse and swapping out both full-backs implies a major tactical shift that heralds the dawn of a new one.

But bringing in Newcastle United's Alexander Isak would push Liverpool's transfer business into unprecedented territory.

What exactly is Arne Slot thinking?

The simplest thing to do is fully convert Hugo Ekitike into a Luis Diaz replacement, following the Colombia forward's move to Bayern Munich.

Ekitike has played just nine games - two starts and 324 minutes in total - as a left-winger, although he has often tended to drift out to that side, most notably throughout 2023-24.

More importantly, the way Slot has used Cody Gapko and Luis Diaz - as one-on-one dribblers, using their acceleration to cut inside full-backs - corresponds with Ekitike's best qualities.

In the Bundesliga last season, Ekitike came fifth for attempted dribbles (126) and for shot-ending carries (44). He also provided eight assists and ranked fifth for 'attacking sequence' involvements.

He hasn't done it much before, but Ekitike has the makings of a Slot left-winger.

Read Alex's full piece

Lyon have agreed personal terms with 22-year-old Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton, but the Premier League champions' £8m asking price could cause a roadblock in the deal. (L'Equipe - in French), external

Want more transfer news? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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Marc Guehi has fewer than 12 months on his contract, meaning he can leave for nothing next summer - a prospect that would represent a huge financial loss to Crystal Palace given they turned down a deal of around £65m from Newcastle for Guehi in 2024.

As things stand, there are no signs Guehi is prepared to extend his contract, though Palace are obviously keen to discuss a new deal.

Liverpool have a genuine interest in Guehi this summer.

But the level of the Merseyside club's interest will be dictated by cost. Liverpool don't want to get drawn into a long saga over Guehi's valuation and will only move if they believe the fee represents that the defender can join them for nothing next summer.

Palace are believed to want around £40m for Guehi, but Liverpool want to pay less than that figure.

Tottenham, Newcastle and Chelsea have all registered varying degrees of interest in Guehi since the end of the season.

Guehi finds himself in a unique position of power: a homegrown player in the final year of his deal.

That comes with a delicate balance of trying to maximise the situation he is in, but also acknowledge that certain chances do not come around all too often.

Indeed, the opportunity to join the Premier League champions, particularly given their exciting summer additions that could yet include Alexander Isak, is one Guehi would likely give serious consideration to.

Equally, another option open to Guehi is to see out the final season of his deal with a view to leaving on a free transfer next summer.

His options would certainly enhance in that scenario. The financial packages on offer would also be more lucrative.

There are risks attached to that, of course, injury being the main one.

Read more from Sami on Palace here

Tyrese King
BBC Sport journalist

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Liverpool manager Arne Slot praised Rio Ngumoha after the 16-year-old impressed in their pre-season in Tokyo against AC Milan and Yokohama FM.

"Rio again showed the quality he has and that's nice for us because we have a lot of very good players," Slot said after his side overcame Yokohama FM 3-1, with Ngumoha scoring the third.

"It's always nice to see young players from 16, 17 or 18 years old already impacting a game. If you are 16 and you can impact the game like he did, that's definitely worth a compliment."

In a summer where Liverpool have gained headlines because of high-spending and the big names they have attracted to Anfield, Ngumoha could be an option to replace Luis Diaz, who has completed a move to German champions Bayern Munich for £65.5m.

Another academy graduate - Trey Nyoni - also impressed against Yokohama FM, finding the net in a fixture that saw Florian Wirtz net his first Liverpool goal.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Liverpool are set to sign Salford City's teenage striker Will Wright, beating Arsenal to a deal in the process.

The 17-year-old has passed his medical ahead of a £200,000 move to Liverpool, with Arsenal now considering alternative targets to strengthen their academy team.

One target is England Under-17 international Igor Tyjon, currently at Blackburn

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Liverpool signed off their pre-season spell in Japan with a victory over Yokohama F. Marinos.

After falling behind, Florian Wirtz scored his first goal for the club before Trey Nyoni nudged the Reds ahead from Jeremie Frimpong's cross.

Sixteen-year-old Rio Ngumoha completed the scoring with his second goal in pre-season, applying a clinical finish in the final moments.

Boss Arne Slot revealed before kick-off that goalkeeper Alisson was unavailable for selection after returning to Brazil for personal reasons.

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Departing Liverpool forward Luis Diaz says he is leaving with a "feeling of duty fulfilled" and paid tribute to Diogo Jota in an emotional farewell message after his move to German champions Bayern Munich was confirmed.

Diaz and Jota won four major trophies together at Anfield, including the Premier League last season, before the latter tragically died in a car crash alongside his brother Andre Silva at the start of July.

"I arrived with all the dreams in the world, and I am leaving proud of everything we achieved together," Diaz wrote on Instagram, external.

"I have met incredible people, fabulous colleagues, coaches who helped me a lot, and extraordinary fans. Liverpool is, indeed, a special team, and I will keep everyone in my heart.

"It's good to be leaving with the feeling of a duty fulfilled, and, most of all, to be leaving a champion. It would have been the perfect goodbye if we hadn't lost one of ours in such a tragic way.

"I carry everyone with me in my heart, but one of them in particular: Diogo. I will never forget him. We will never forget him. Thank you for everything."

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Luis Diaz's three-and-a-half years at Liverpool has come to an end.

The Colombia forward has completed his move to Bayern Munich in a £65.5m deal, including add-ons.

Diaz arrived at Anfield from Porto in for an initial £37m in January 2022 and scored 41 goals in 148 appearances, including 13 as the Reds won the Premier League title last season.

The 28-year-old also won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup twice with the club and was part of the side that reached the Champions League in 2022.

Read the full story

Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign 17-year-old striker Will Wright from Salford City. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Fenerbahce are interested in Liverpool's 27-year-old Italy forward Federico Chiesa but he is prioritising a return to Serie A. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

Lyon are interested in English midfielder Tyler Morton, 22, and have made contact with Liverpool. (Times - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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We asked for your views on who Liverpool should target to replace Luis Diaz.

Here are some of your comments:

AJ: They should target Jadon Sancho. Can get him for £20-25m and he'd jump at the chance. Most Manchester United fans probably don't care where he goes at this point.

Tim: Excellent piece of business once again by Liverpool. Diaz, at 28 years old, wanted unrealistic wages and wouldn't budge so we sold at market rate. Rio Ngumoha should now be given his chance to compete with Cody Gakpo as he's been electric in pre-season and training. Our spending should now be on Alexander Isak and Marc Guehi. Retaining the league is a minimum but winning the Champions League should be our higher goal.

Yusuf: I think we should work with what we have - we should utilise Gakpo on the left but also really concentrate on Ngumoha as well. He could have a breakthrough season. Any more attackers and things may get a bit out of shape up front. We already have so much talent and firepower up front - we should really be concentrating what is happening at the defence and upgrading there. Ekitike can also drift to the left potentially. Then there is all the Isak talk but in reality we don't need to replace Diaz, our next signing really should be a centre-back.

Daryl: Gakpo has already been an upgrade on the left during the past 12 months. In my opinion, there should be no need to replace him up top.

Chris: Liverpool don't need Isak. He is injury-prone and the way Liverpool play, we need players who are injury averse. Yes he can score goals but we have that in abundance already. Let's concentrate on a defender or two.

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Liverpool "can upgrade" on Luis Diaz if he does complete his move to Bayern Munich, believes Redmen TV's Dan Clubbe.

The 28-year-old is set for a medical with the Bundesliga champions after a £65.5m deal was agreed on Sunday.

Diaz had been left out of Liverpool's squad for Saturday's 4-2 pre-season friendly defeat by AC Milan in Hong Kong because of speculation about his future.

"It was clearly in his wishes to leave and therefore it is probably in everyone's best interest that he goes," Clubbe told BBC Radio Merseyside. "I'm not sure how much value there was in keeping a relatively unhappy and unsettled Luis Diaz around much longer.

"It became pretty apparent that he wanted to move."

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The Colombia international arrived at Anfield from Porto in a deal worth an initial £37m in January 2022 and has scored 41 goals in 148 appearances, including 13 as the Reds won the Premier League title last season.

His 17 goals in all competitions in 2024-25 made it the most prolific campaign of his career.

"He has been exceptional - there is no getting around that," said Clubbe. "He hit the ground running and was exceptional early doors. He lost a little bit of that X-factor as his time went on at the club, although his numbers last time were still impressive.

"I feel like we can upgrade on him. He has often lived in the shadows of whoever has been ahead of him and never really made his place in that position his own.

"It never felt like he was indispensable to Liverpool and that is how it has turned out."

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Who should Liverpool target to replace Diaz?

(Beyond Alexander Isak that is...)

Let us know