Liverpool news: Reds panic over £60m summer transfer as Saudi approach emerges

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Liverpool's summer transfer spending was an unprecedented move by the club. The haul of players that set the Reds back a staggering £450million was, in part, spearheaded by sporting director, Richard Hughes.

Record fees were spent on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak . Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Giovanni Leoni also arrived in a major squad overhaul after Arne Slot won the Premier League title in his first season.

Yet despite the extravagant expenditure, the Reds have underwhelmed this season and are battling to secure a top-four finish. Moves could now be in place that will lead to a seismic shift in the club's hierarchy , affecting Hughes and Slot, and how the club will conduct transfer business moving forward.

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Elsewhere in today's news, Liverpool have been alarmed over the fitness of an exciting summer signing. Mirror Football takes a closer look.

Hughes joined the Reds at the end of the 2023/24 campaign and has been a hugely influential figure during the Slot era. However, in January, reports emerged linking the former Portsmouth player with a move to the Saudi Pro League, and they have resurfaced.

Hughes is under contract with the Reds until June 2027, but reports from the Middle East claimed he had agreed to join Al-Hilal. The Telegraph has now reported that he is, in fact, on a three-man shortlist for the role of sporting director at the Saudi side.

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Al-Hilal are yet to contact Liverpool, and the club are understood to be content that he won't be leaving. Were he to agree to join Al-Hilal, Hughes would not start work until the summer. Despite being unbeaten, the Riyadh-based side are currently second in the Pro League, three points behind Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr.

They are owned by the country's Public Investment Fund, managed by former Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi. Hughes was hired by Liverpool's chief executive of football, Michael Edwards, from a similar role at Bournemouth , where he oversaw the hiring of Andoni Iraola.

Soon-to-be Liverpool star Jeremy Jacquet has undergone surgery following a shoulder fracture last month. However, worry has reportedly spread through the Merseyside club after they learnt about the length of his recovery period.

Liverpool outbid Chelsea for the centre-back's signature in January. They agreed a £60million deal with Rennes - £55m paid upfront and an additional £5m due in add-ons.

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The severity of the injury, picked up in a league tie with Lens, meant that surgery was necessary and has all but concluded his stint at the Ligue 1 club. On March 12, Rennes confirmed in a brief statement that the surgery had been successful.

French publication Sport has suggested that Jacquet is likely to be sidelined for eight to 12 weeks. The same report indicated that Liverpool are 'panicking' about the extent of Jacquet's injury.

The report stated that the Reds had 'already been envisioning him forming a partnership' with Virgil van Dijk at the start of the next season.

The youngster's recovery is expected to delay his integration into the team, with the defender likely to have a light pre-season and arrive lacking match fitness.

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