Liverpool Transfer Latest: Chiesa, Elliott and Jones Facing Exit as Iraola Reshapes Squad

Liverpool’s summer business is moving into a more decisive phase, with squad trimming now looking every bit as important as recruitment. After significant early spending under sporting director Richard Hughes, attention appears to be turning towards outgoings, and three names are increasingly central to that discussion, Federico Chiesa, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the direction of travel has become clearer in recent days. The report suggests Liverpool may now be preparing to part with players who have either failed to convince in pre-season or find themselves vulnerable amid the new head coach’s plans.

Liverpool transfers point towards difficult decisions

This has already been an expensive window. Liverpool have committed around £100m on Victor Munoz and Jeremy Jacquet, with the wider context being a squad that still needs further work, particularly in wide attacking areas. If another major addition is to arrive before the deadline, then balancing the books becomes a necessity rather than a preference.

That is why recent selection choices have drawn attention. In Sunday’s double-header against Como, some players were effectively given a first audition and then omitted from the more prominent Anfield fixture later in the day. Chiesa and Elliott both fall into that bracket, and the significance has not been missed.

The Echo’s assessment was blunt: “The portents, then, do not augur well in the immediate future for Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott,” the report reads. In practical terms, this points to two players who have not persuaded Andoni Iraola they should be central to his plans for the season ahead.

Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott under pressure

Chiesa’s situation feels particularly telling. Since arriving in 2024, he has struggled to establish rhythm, form and availability in a way that would justify a long-term role at Anfield. There had been a degree of hope that a change in coaching style might help him, yet pre-season has done little to strengthen that case. Interest from Serie A has lingered, but the challenge remains finding a club capable of satisfying both Liverpool’s valuation and the player’s wage expectations.

Elliott’s case is different, but no less significant. Still only 23, he remains a player of technical quality and promise, though the reality is that his pathway has become increasingly clouded. A difficult loan spell at Aston Villa has not helped, and with only one year left on his contract, Liverpool are approaching a point where a decision must be made. They may not recover the £35m Villa had previously lined up, but the logic of a sale is easy to understand if renewal is not realistic.

The Echo put it starkly when assessing his summer so far: “Throughout an underwhelming pre-season, Elliott has looked very much a player who has had hardly any football over the previous two years, while Chiesa has shown little sign the approach of Iraola favours him more than that of Arne Slot.”

Curtis Jones sale could unlock next move

The third name in focus is Jones, whose absence has officially been attributed to a hip issue. Yet with Inter Milan interest continuing in the background, there is a growing sense that Liverpool may be positioning themselves for a sale. At £30m, the fee being discussed would bring in useful income for a homegrown player whose role has often felt harder to define than his talent merits.

Again, the Echo’s wording carried significance: “Throw in the continued intrigue over Curtis Jones , the official word, amid ongoing speculation over increased interest from Inter, was he remained absent with the hip problem that ruled him out last weekend against Monaco , and a picture is perhaps being painted for the forthcoming weeks,” the report reads.

Jones has long been seen as a valuable squad option, and at his best he offers control, ball carrying and tactical discipline. Even so, Liverpool’s midfield picture remains crowded, and a meaningful offer can change the equation quickly in a window where outgoing fees matter.

Winger search depends on Liverpool sales

The wider issue is simple enough. Liverpool still want more from this market, and a winger is understood to be a priority. Yet elite deals require flexibility, and there is little evidence the club will move recklessly after already committing major funds. Paris Saint-Germain’s £145m valuation of Bradley Barcola underlines the scale of the challenge at the top end of the market.

With only £700k raised so far this summer through Luca Stephenson’s departure to Bolton Wanderers, Liverpool need more movement. As the Echo noted, “But having raised just £700,000 from sales so far this summer, it would be a surprise if the Reds didn’t cash in on one or two of their fringe players before the deadline,” the report reads.

That is the key point. This now looks like a week for exits as much as arrivals. For Chiesa, Elliott and Jones, the margin for staying at Anfield may already be narrowing fast.

Our View

From a Liverpool perspective, this all feels painfully familiar. Every summer there is excitement about what might come next, and every summer it ends up circling back to balancing books, moving on squad players and explaining why the next big target may depend on sales first.

The frustrating part is that these are not surprise situations. Chiesa’s struggles have been obvious for a while, Elliott’s contract position did not suddenly appear this week, and Jones has long sat in that awkward category of talented academy product who never quite gets a fully defined role. If all three are now edging towards the door, then why does it feel so late in the process?

There is also a broader concern about squad planning. Liverpool need a winger, everybody can see it, and supporters do not want to hear that progress may hinge on shifting players whose values have already dipped. That is not smart leverage in the market, it is reactive business.

Iraola deserves time to shape the squad in his own image, and Hughes has a difficult job, but fans will judge this window on whether Liverpool finish stronger than they started. Right now, it feels like too much is still unresolved, and that creates anxiety more than confidence.