The summer transfer window is now open and new Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola is likely to be a busy man when he returns from his holiday.

Making the move from Bournemouth, following the end of his contract at the Vitality Stadium, Iraola will be under pressure to deliver at Anfield after a season in which the Reds could only finish fifth in defending their Premier League title, leading to Arne Slot being sacked.

Liverpool have already said goodbye to three players, with Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah all leaving the club this summer and Iraola will want to get to work on new signings as quickly as possible.

Yan Diomande is the main transfer target this summer

REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

The Reds will want to sign at least one wide forward, while there could be changes made in central midfield and at full-back too.

Yan Diomande is the man who has been most heavily linked with the club, with the Ivorian winger understood to be the Reds number one target this summer, although he will come at a high price, with RB Leipzig understood to be demanding at least €100million (£87million) to let him go. His performances at the World Cup may even see that price tag rise, with a man of the match award already under his belt from the Ivory Coast’s 1-0 win over Ecuador in their opening encounter.

Former Reds goalkeeper David James has suggested a different signing, however. James believes Liverpool should make a shock move to go to fierce rivals Manchester United to sign unwanted frontman Marcus Rashford.

Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona and there was an option to buy the England forward inserted into the deal for around £26million. However, Barca did not take up that option, although that does not mean they will not go back in for him later in this summer transfer window.

United want to sell and GIVEMESPORT understands that Rashford only want to return to the Camp Nou this summer, but the Red Devils hierarchy are not willing to budge on their price tag and whether they would have any interest in selling to a direct rival remains to be seen, as much as they are keen to offload him. If he were to make the move to Liverpool it would create a bit of history as the first transfer between the two rivals since 1964!

David James thinks Rashford would shine at Liverpool

James has backed Liverpool to get a deal done.

He said: “If I were Liverpool, I’d look to sign Marcus Rashford. I really would.

“Whether he plays on the left or the right isn’t the main issue. Get him in first, and then you give it time to work out his best position.

“I think he’s an outstanding footballer. His football intelligence is off the scale, and so is his ability.

“We saw at Barcelona that when you get Marcus Rashford in a happy place, he’s capable of playing incredible football. I can’t imagine Liverpool will actually sign him, but football rivalries shouldn’t stop clubs from pursuing the best players.

“Someone like Andoni Iraola is good enough to create an environment where Rashford could thrive.”

Manchester United remain hopeful of offloading Marcus Rashford this summer, but have already blocked two clubs from activating his £40 million release clause.

The 28-year-old spent last season on loan with Barcelona, where he helped the Catalan giants win the La Liga title. However, despite impressing in his time with Barca, the club opted not to activate their option to make the deal permanent.

As a result, Rashford, who is currently part of England’s squad at the 2026 World Cup, will be heading back to Old Trafford when the tournament ends.

Manchester United’s Feelings on Marcus Rashford’s Future

Per reports, the player himself is willing to stay and fight for his place at the Theatre of Dreams, with the outlet claiming that he would rather see out the remaining two years of his contract than join another Premier League club.

However, United would seemingly rather move on from Rashford, who is currently believed to be earning more than £325,000 per week, in order to give new permanent boss Michael Carrick the chance to add to his squad ahead of the new season.

With the club back in Champions League action again next term, Carrick is aware of the need to add to his ranks to cope with the increased number of games his team will play.

The Red Devils have already been linked with West Ham duo Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville following the Hammers’ relegation from the Premier League.

A deal for Summerville is thought to be dependent on United’s ability to sell fellow forward Rashford.

The Two Clubs Who Are Banned From Signing Rashford

via Reuters

As keen as the Old Trafford club are to boost their coffers by cashing in on Rashford, though, there are two clubs that won’t be able to sign him, even if they wanted to.

A report from the Athletic has confirmed that there are two clubs who are specifically excluded from activating the buyout clause in the players’ contract, Liverpool and Manchester City.

United included the stipulation in Rashford’s deal in order to avoid potentially bolstering either of their two biggest rivals, with all three expected to be competing with each other on multiple fronts next season.

Rashford should still attract plenty of interest from other clubs, having played 49 times for Barcelona last term, scoring 14 times, while bagging 14 assists. United may have to lower their asking price for the player, though.

Barcelona were reportedly interested in retaining his services, but didn’t want to part with the £26 milllion it would have cost to make the deal permanent. Now less than 18 months away from his 30th birthday, it seems unlikely that United will find a club willing to activate his contractual release clause in full.

One Liverpool star has made a U-turn on his future after the appointment of Andoni Iraola, who replaced Arne Slot as manager.

The future of some of Liverpool’s stars heading into the summer transfer window could change after their recent managerial switch.

Some players may have been looking for exits under Slot, but we’ll be hoping for a fresh start under Iraola.

With a new manager comes new ideas, and that could see some players given a fresh chance and a revival following Iraola’s appointment.

There may have been a number of players who were looking to leave the club in the summer transfer window, but situations will have changed over the last few weeks.

Liverpool Star Performs U-Turn

Hannah Mckay Via Reuters

According to a report from Tutto Juve journalist Mirko Di Natale, Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa’s situation has changed after the departure of Slot.

Chiesa has now changed his mind about leaving the club, and he wants to establish himself under Iraola, determined to turn things around at Anfield.

If Liverpool want to get rid of the Italian international in the summer transfer window, Chiesa will happily move on. For now, he wants to prove himself and get back on track.

Whether Iraola and Liverpool will want to keep him remains to be seen, as it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see them offload him this summer.

Time for Liverpool to Move On

It could be time for Liverpool and Chiesa to shake hands and go their separate ways during the summer transfer window.

The Italian international has struggled to cement himself as a guaranteed starter for the Reds, and that doesn’t feel like changing heading into the 2026/27 season.

Liverpool are likely to be linked with a host of different wingers to improve their squad, meaning Chiesa could fall further down the pecking order.

Although he is undoubtedly a decent squad player, Chiesa needs to move on for the good of his career, as he is going to continue to struggle to play regular minutes at Anfield.