Although Liverpool reached the final in 2022, they haven’t won the Champions League since 2019 when they completed a historic comeback win over Barcelona and then dispatched Premier League rivals Tottenham in the final with Jurgen Klopp as manager.
In Arne Slot’s first season at the helm, Liverpool were actually favored to win the Champions League after placing first in the league phase, but their weaknesses were exposed by PSG. They were eliminated on penalties, but, in truth, were outplayed over two legs by Luis Enrique’s men.
Liverpool should still be able to skate to the Premier League title this season, but more work needs to be done in the summer 2025 transfer window if the Reds want to recapture Champions League glory.
Here are five superstar players Liverpool must target this offseason.
Newcastle ST Alexander Isak
There is no question that Alexander Isak will be the best available striker on the summer 2025 transfer market if there’s even a remote possibility that Newcastle will listen to offers for him.
Assuming Liverpool win the Premier League and are able to sell current striker Darwin Nunez for at least a decent fee, they should have more than enough money to make a 100-120 million euro transfer bid for Isak.
Generally, Liverpool don’t spend as much as other top clubs in the Premier League, but some of their most foundational pieces to their past Champions League title run were on the pricier side, including Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.
Isak isn’t the best passer and can run streaky, but he’s the most premium striker on the market – and after left back, striker will be the biggest need on the table for Liverpool, given the fact that Nunez is still struggling to even score 10 Premier League goals.
AC Milan LB Theo Hernandez
Milos Kerkez appears to be the favorite to take over for Andrew Robertson at left back, and while he has a lot of future potential, the only truly world-class left back who can take the Liverpool attack to the next level is AC Milan man Theo Hernandez.
For now, it appears Hernandez is at no risk of leaving Milan, but with the Rossoneri struggling in the Serie A table, perhaps he could change his mind if the club don’t play Champions League football next season.
The opportunity to play for a title contender like Liverpool may be too good to pass up on, especially as Theo enters the prime years of his career at 27. He’s too good to be toiling away on a mid-table team in Italy.
Real Sociedad DM Martin Zubimendi
Joshua Kimmich would have been the best choice here, but the Bayern Munich star just signed a new contract extension with the club about a week ago, taking him off the table as a potential free agent bargain for the Reds.
Martin Zubimendi is the best choice, almost by default. Liverpool have already done well to overhaul their midfield, and they’ve unearthed two breakout stars under Slot who are legitimately among the best midfielders in the Premier League now, Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones.
But Liverpool are still missing a deep midfield orchestrator who can control the tempo and playmake as a 6. Thiago Alcantara’s injury carousel and subsequent retirement have left the club with a gaping need that only LaLiga’s best No. 6 can seemingly fill.
Joe Soriano covers West Ham for Green Street Hammers and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.