Liverpool sign £80m winger and Premier League duo – Arne Slot’s next two transfer windows predicted

It has been a strange season at Anfield, one that began with fireworks and confidence but has slowly turned into questions, pressure, and whispers about what comes next. Arne Slot came in with a big smile and a fresh idea, and Liverpool started the season looking like a team reborn. But football is never a straight road, especially at a club like Liverpool where every small crack feels like an earthquake. Three straight defeats have shaken the mood around the club, and now eyes have turned again to what Liverpool always does when things go wrong—look to the transfer market for hope and inspiration.

Reports around England are already hinting that Liverpool are planning big things for 2026. The January transfer window could open the door for new faces, and the summer could bring even more drama. The names being whispered around Melwood and Anfield are not small names. They are names that can change games, names that can carry a team, and names that remind fans of what Liverpool used to be—a machine built on talent and hunger.

Arne Slot knows what he needs. His first few months in charge have shown him everything about this Liverpool squad: the brilliance, the weakness, and the truth that some players are not yet ready for the future he imagines. The £80 million winger deal that Liverpool are chasing is not just another signing. It’s a statement, a message that this team will not fade quietly. The summer saw big money come in for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, but both are still trying to find their rhythm in red. Wirtz has shown flashes of magic, the kind of football that gets fans off their seats, but he’s still learning what it means to wear that famous shirt every week.

And Isak, the tall Swede with ice in his veins, has found the Premier League harder than he expected. The goals are there, but not enough to silence the critics who still compare him to the ghosts of Anfield past—Torres, Suarez, Salah. Every miss feels heavy, every touch watched. Arne Slot believes in him, but he also knows the system needs more. The next two transfer windows could define his project.

Liverpool have started their scouting early. The club’s data department, one of the most advanced in world football, has been tracking targets across Europe. The first name on their list remains Marc Guehi, the Crystal Palace captain who has quietly become one of the most reliable defenders in the league. The Reds nearly had him in the summer before everything collapsed on deadline day. Guehi was ready, Liverpool were ready, but the deal slipped away in the final hours, leaving a bitter taste. Palace wanted £35 million then, but now his value has doubled. The way he’s been playing this season, commanding his defence, reading the game, and leading his team, has made Palace rethink everything.

Liverpool will have to pay between £50 and £70 million if they want to bring him to Anfield in January. Slot wants him because he knows the defence needs help. Ibrahima Konaté has struggled with form and fitness, Joe Gomez is versatile but inconsistent, and Virgil van Dijk, the captain, is still a colossus but no longer invincible. There are moments when the backline looks nervous, and Slot doesn’t want that in Europe or in big games. Guehi’s arrival would add strength and calmness. The club knows it will not be easy, but plans are being prepared.

But Guehi is not the only one on the radar. Deep in Italy, there’s another name that Liverpool have quietly followed—Ederson from Atalanta. A midfield machine who has been shining in Serie A, Ederson could cost around £40-50 million. He is not the kind of midfielder who dances with the ball; he’s the one who fights for it, wins it back, and drives his team forward. Slot sees him as the perfect balance for Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, a player who can bring that missing control. When Liverpool lose games, it’s often because they lose the midfield battle. Ederson is seen as the man who can fix that.

Liverpool were linked with him before, when Klopp was still in charge, but nothing happened. Now, with the system Slot wants to build—a fast, intelligent, pressing machine—Ederson fits the picture perfectly. The only question is whether Liverpool are ready to act fast enough. Manchester United and Manchester City have also shown interest, but Liverpool believe they have an advantage because of the project, because of what it means to play at Anfield.

But it’s the summer of 2026 that promises to be the real turning point. By then, many believe Slot will have fully stamped his identity on the team. And that’s when Liverpool are planning something bigger, something that will remind the world of the kind of transfers that once made fans dream. The biggest discussion at Anfield right now is about the future of Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian king has done everything—titles, goals, records—but time does not wait for anyone. By the time his contract expires, he will be 35. The club loves him deeply, but they know they must plan for life after him.

This is where the name Michael Olise comes in. Once at Crystal Palace, now at Bayern Munich, Olise has become one of the brightest young attackers in Europe. His left foot is poetry, his vision sharp, and his confidence reminds many of Salah’s early days. He has scored 11 goals in just 10 games this season for Bayern, adding nine assists and controlling games like a veteran. Liverpool have watched him for years, and now the dream is back.

Olise would not just replace Salah—he would be his heir. Slot imagines a front line where Olise and Isak could play together, supported by Wirtz and Darwin Núñez, creating a new age of chaos for defenders. The problem is that Bayern don’t want to sell. Olise is under contract until 2029, and his price is between £60 and £80 million. Liverpool are ready to pay that if Salah leaves. It’s a big risk, but this is Liverpool—they know that sometimes, you must gamble to rise again.

Another target for the summer is Adam Wharton, the young midfielder from Crystal Palace. Wharton has been a revelation, playing with the calmness of a veteran and the courage of a teenager. He has the kind of passing range and composure that makes every scout take notes. Palace once valued him at £100 million, but new reports suggest he could go for around £60 million. Liverpool see him as a long-term solution in midfield, a player who could take over from Thiago and bring something fresh beside Mac Allister.

Slot wants energy and intelligence in his team. He wants players who can run but also think. Wharton fits that idea perfectly. The rebuild is not about just buying names—it’s about creating balance, harmony, and a future.

Liverpool’s situation now feels like a moment between eras. The Klopp years are gone, the memories still warm, but this is a new world now. Slot has tried to keep the soul of Liverpool—the passion, the fighting spirit—but he’s also brought new tactics, new ideas. He has asked his full-backs to play narrower, his midfielders to stay compact, and his wingers to move inside. It’s modern, it’s bold, but it needs time. The recent losses have brought pressure, and some fans have started to question the choices, but inside the club, there is calm. They believe the project is right. They just need the right players to make it shine.

This is why January and summer 2026 are being viewed as crucial. Guehi for the defence. Ederson for the midfield. Wharton for the balance. Olise for the future. That is the spine Liverpool want to build. Four players who can change everything. Four signings that can bring back the fear opponents once felt walking into Anfield.

Behind closed doors, the recruitment team is working day and night. Scouts are flying to Italy, Germany, and London. Slot has been given freedom to decide, something he values deeply. He wants players with character, not just skill. Players who can handle the pressure of Anfield’s noise, who don’t freeze when the lights are brightest.

Liverpool fans have been patient. They remember how it felt to win the league, to lift the Champions League, to see nights of miracles. Now, they just want to feel that again. Every rumor about a new signing feels like a small spark of hope. Every name—Guehi, Ederson, Wharton, Olise—sounds like a promise.

Slot knows this too. He’s not a man who speaks much, but inside the training ground, he has told his players one thing again and again: We are Liverpool. We fight, we adapt, and we rise again.”

As the winter window approaches, the decisions will be made. Liverpool may not spend as recklessly as other clubs, but when they move, it’s because they believe it will change everything. The rebuild will take time, but the plan is already written.

The story of the next two transfer windows will not just be about money. It will be about redemption, about showing that Liverpool still belong at the top. The £80 million winger deal, the search for stability in defence, the hunt for creativity in midfield—all of it is part of one vision: to bring Liverpool back to glory and to give Arne Slot the team he deserves.

Anfield waits. The fans wait. And somewhere in Europe, four players—Guehi, Ederson, Wharton, Olise—are probably hearing the whispers too. The Liverpool call is coming.And when it does, everything could change again.