The £33million spent on wages Liverpool can save this summer

Ben Stewart • 12 Apr 2023

After a turbulent 2022-23 campaign so far, Liverpool are expected to make wholesale changes to their squad in the upcoming transfer window.

Along with signing some new players, Liverpool are also expected to let several stars leave. Roberto Firmino has already confirmed his exit at the end of the season after eight years of service.

The Brazilian’s departure will free up around £9.4million on Liverpool’s yearly wage bill. Firmino continues to be an important player for Liverpool as he has scored 11 goals this season.

However, with the likes of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo at the club, Liverpool are already well-stocked in the forward department. Jurgen Klopp’s side have scored 50 league goals this season, which is more than the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle.

Liverpool’s most pressing issue in the summer is to rebuild their midfield. The likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are out of contract in the summer and are expected to depart.

Those two players alone cost Liverpool a combined £12.4million on their yearly wage bill which can be spent elsewhere going into next season.

Liverpool aren’t expected to make Arthur Melo’s loan move from Juventus permanent and so they will save a further £5.7million by allowing him to return to Italy.

James Milner is also out of contract in the summer, although Liverpool could still offer him a fresh deal. The 37-year-old is well-regarded by Klopp and he is currently said to be making £60,000 per week.

“Milly wants to keep playing,” Klopp told reporters in March. “When you see him play the other night I think everyone understands that. You can’t judge him normal for his age. He is 37, doesn’t look a day like this when he is in training.

“He is an incredibly important player and in this game (Wolves) you saw on the pitch as well. It is not that Milly expects to play 64 games a season but in 64 games a season Milly could be extremely important.

“That is how it is. Milly has reached 600 games and most of them for Liverpool.”

As things stand, Liverpool have five players who are out of contract in the summer and one player who is set to return on loan. By allowing those players to leave, Liverpool would save around £33million on wages each year.

Using figures from Capology, we have put together a list of the players that could leave the club this summer and how much Liverpool could potentially save on their salaries.

Roberto Firmino (out of contract) – £9.4million
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (out of contract) – £6.2million
Naby Keita (out of contract) – £6.2million
Arthur Melo (loan) – £5.7million
James Milner (out of contract) – £3.1million
Adrian (out of contract) – £3.1million

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