Jürgen Klopp and his new Liverpool sporting director, Jörg Schmadtke, have been working on deals all summer, but the window might close quickly as additional transfers are sought.
After signing Wataru Endo from Bundesliga side Stuttgart, the demand for another midfield signing may have diminished slightly, but there is still a need for a better long-term option, even if that is not now achievable.
And Liverpool cannot afford to be short on defensive options at the back. As the Bournemouth game shown, there are still flaws to be rectified. A holding midfielder will help, but more quality center-backs are required.
Andy Robertson demonstrated his worth to Liverpool (though he shouldn’t have needed to) with a strong performance against Bournemouth over the weekend (at least after a rocky start), and while the Scotland captain may not be a perfect fit for the new system, he is a decent enough fit for the majority of games.
More depth is required at center-back, with Liverpool prioritizing a left-sided option over a right-sided alternative, despite calls from some quarters to bring in a right-back and shift Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield.
Liverpool had backed away from a bid for Sporting CP defender Gonçalo Inácio, so the news that he had signed a new deal with a higher release clause came as no surprise last week.
Liverpool did not consider Micky van de Ven to be good value at the $54 million (£43 million/€50 million) price that Spurs agreed to pay Wolfsburg (with add-ons) for the young Dutchman. Meanwhile, Levi Colwill decided to sign an extension with Chelsea.
However, 21-year-old Piero Hincapié has been connected with a $49 million (£38 million/€45 million) move this week (via Teradeportes). The bright Ecuadorian midfielder has impressed in Germany under Xabi Alonso, and RB Leipzig is also interested in him, which is generally a positive sign that a rising star is on the rise.
In a perfect world, Liverpool would be able to recruit someone like that — someone with a high potential but lots of ability right now — who could come into the squad and be an option for the Reds to gradually incorporate, like they did with Ibrahima Konaté. That guy would have been recruited in ahead of time to gradually replace Virgil van Dijk.
Nat Phillips, who is 26 years old, has not played in pre-season and sorely needs a move for the sake of his career. That has been the case for some time, though where he will end up remains to be seen.
The ECHO claimed earlier this summer that Leeds United and Feyenoord were interested, with a potential price tag of around $13 million (£10 million/€12 million) mentioned (though that seems ambitious).
While no firm move from another club has been made as of yet, there is still time for something to be worked out. Phillips is a capable enough player to play at the top of the Championship right away.
The ideal first-choice defense remains unchanged: Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate, Alexander-Arnold.
Tsimikas, Hincapié, Matip, and Gomez are backup choices after the dream transfer move.