Liverpool face £51.1m release clause to land final Jurgen Klopp signing

There are just three days remaining in the January transfer window and Liverpool are yet to move.

The Reds have been active in the loan market and have seen players return and depart once again. The likes of Fabio Carvalho returned from RB Leipzig before moving to Hull, while Nat Phillips is still in search of a new destination after returning to Anfield from Celtic.

Jurgen Klopp's pending departure will add a complicating element to any potential deals that the Premier League side look to get over the line. Any new addition will have less than six months left to work with the German coach.

Liverpool have shown the ability to take advantage of a January opportunity however, with the signings of Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz in recent years. Mirror Football takes a look at the latest transfer news and rumours to emerge from Anfield.

Klopp's final signing?

Liverpool will be required to activate the release clause of the Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo should they wish to land him this month. Mundo Deportivo suggest that despite interest from Manchester United, Juventus and Al-Nassr in addition to the Reds, that the Basque side are reluctant to part ways with both the Japanese international and Martin Zubimendi.

That means a £51.2million fee would be required to land Kubo, but the outlet suggests that the 22-year-old could be reluctant to depart in January or the summer.

The winger has netted six times and provided three assist in 18 La Liga appearances and is currently participating in the Asia Cup. That form has seen Liverpool 'ask' about the star as a possible final signing for Klopp.

Gonçalo Inácio opportunity

A winter move for Sporting ace Gonçalo Inacio has been all but ruled out amid interest from Liverpool and Newcastle, but the Portuguese club could be more receptive later in 2024. Ruben Amorim's side are currently top of Liga Portugal and the Lisbon-based team are firmly focused on winning the title.

Their stance over Inacio could soften in the summer however report Record, via Sport Witness. The defender has a £50m release clause that Sporting could be willing to negotiate over as they try to surpass their summer 2022 record income of £100m.

Virgil van Dijk speaks out

Klopp's departure leaves more uncertainty for Liverpool's transformation, and with the likes of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold all out of contract in 2025, big decisions away. If the Reds were under any illusion of the tasks that await, the Dutch defender has already admitted he doesn't know where his future lies.

The Netherlands international turns 33 at the end of the season and has been a stalwart of the Liverpool backline in recent seasons. Whether he continues to be that mainstay is far from set in stone.

When asked he is sees himself as part of Liverpool's new era, van Dijk admitted: "That’s a big question. Well, I don’t know".

"Listen, I don’t know," he added. "The club will have a big job on their hands, that is well known. To replace the manager and replace not only the manager, the staff is leaving, and there are so many things that will change, so the club has a big job on its hands.

"I am very curious which direction that will go in. But when that will be announced we will see our situation. I can’t say now."