How Liverpool squad could look in 2027 as three transfers agreed and five high-profile stars depart

Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool squad could look very different in 2026/27 with a number of high-profile players currently set to depart as things stand

Ronald Araujo and Andoni Iraola celebrate after Liverpool’s Champions League win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield

After Wataru Endo was left as an unused substitute in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur, it did not take long to fuel further speculation about the former Japan international’s future.

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The 33-year-old is yet to make an appearance under Andoni Iraola and was not named in the Reds’ Champions League squad at the start of the month. Out of contract at the end of the season, it would appear that the veteran has entered the final months of his Liverpool career.

Speaking last week, Iraola insisted Endo would be needed at times this season but conceded the Japanese faces stern competition for game-time.

“Wata lost quite a lot of the pre-season,” the new head coach explained. “He is still not at his best but he is training very well.
The 18-year-old is currently on loan at Stade Brest though, and is scheduled to finish the season with the Ligue 1 side before officially moving to Anfield – even though he will officially become a Liverpool player in January.

Meanwhile, Lucca Brughmans will also link up with the Reds after Liverpool agreed a £30m deal with KRC Genk for the Belgian.

The goalkeeper is currently set to complete the season in Belgium, though the ECHO understands the Reds do have the option to bring the teenager to Anfield in January as part of the agreement.

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Samuel Martinez will also join Liverpool from Atletico Nacional next year in a £750,000 deal after the Colombian playmaker celebrates his 18th birthday.

Elsewhere, Liverpool also possess a £55m option to re-sign Jarell Quansah from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2027, with the ECHO understanding the England centre-half has already agreed personal terms on an Anfield contract, should the Reds decide to exercise that option.

Returning loanees

Harvey Elliott will return to Liverpool next summer following the completion of a season-long loan at Valencia, with the playmaker’s current contract running until 2028.

Ifeanyi Ndukwe is now eligible for a work permit to play in England after making his debut for loan-club Levante. The Reds could recall the Austrian in January, otherwise he will complete the campaign at the La Liga outfit before returning to Merseyside.

Armin Pecsi and Kieran Morrison will also return from TSV Hartberg and Sheffield Wednesday respectively, though Calvin Ramsay will move on as a free agent at the end of the season with his temporary stint at St Mirren coinciding with the final year of his Liverpool contract.

Elsewhere, Calum Scanlon and Keyrol Figueroa and are currently on season-long loans at Cardiff City and Port Vale, while Amara Nallo, Kornel Misciur and Kyle Kelly are out on loan at HJK, Leek Town and Forest Green Rovers until the new year.

Meanwhile, Fabian Mrozek is currently on loan at FC Cincinnati, with the MLS side having an option to sign the Pole permanently.

Coming of age

Any player born before January 1, 2006 will have to be registered in Liverpool’s Premier League and European squads if the Reds wish to select them next season.

Consequently, Jeremy Jacquet, Lewis Koumas, Pecsi and Michael Laffey will no longer qualify as Under-21s players, with the same also being true of Scanlon and Kelly.

So, how is Liverpool’s squad shaping up…

Homegrown players

Conor Bradley, Elliott, James McConnell, Koumas, Vitezslav Jaros, Freddie Woodman and Jeremie Frimpong are all contracted to Liverpool next season and would count towards their homegrown quota. The first five would qualify as club-trained for European competition, with the latter pair classed as academy-trained.

Luke Chambers, Scanlon, Kaide Gordon, Isaac Mabaya, Owen Beck, Laffey and Kelly would also all need to be registered if still on the Reds’ books.

Gomez and Davies would leave as free agents as things stand, while Transfermarkt also claims both Chambers and Gordon are set to be out of contract.

Non-homegrown players

Liverpool currently fill all 17 non-homegrown spots for the 2026/27 season, though spaces are currently set to be freed up next summer with Van Dijk, Alisson, Endo and Tsimikas all out of contract.

Should the Reds not retain Araujo, his return to Barcelona would also free up a space.

Elsewhere, it would be a surprise if Chiesa did not move on. The Italian’s current contract runs until 2028, but he has never been more than a fringe player at Anfield.

Uncertainty about Mac Allister’s future also continues with the Argentina international recently speaking out about the club informing him they were not currently in a position to offer him a new contract.

Speculation about Cody Gakpo’s future will likely also arise after he nearly left Liverpool in the summer following interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

Giorgi Mamardashvili has also been linked with a move away.

While Ndukwe and Brughmans would still count as Under-21s players and not need to be registered for Premier League duty, the Reds would need to find space for the pair if they wished to select them in Europe with neither eligible for a place on List B.

If we limit speculation to out-of-contract players departing and Liverpool signing Araujo permanently, they would possess 15 senior non-homegrown players with Jacquet and Pecsi no longer qualifying as Under-21s players.

Ndukwe and Brughmans could then hypothetically occupy the final two berths in the Reds’ European squad.

But clearly they will be more to Liverpool’s incoming and outgoing business next summer, with plenty still to be decided in the months ahead. Rest assured, Iraola’s squad for the 2026/27 will look rather different to the currently contracted list as things stand.