Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has publicly described the lengths the club went to in 2017 when attempting to sign Kylian Mbappé.

“The most expensive non-transfer we [Liverpool] invested in,” Klopp recalled. “We flew from Blackpool to Nice. In Nice, the entire Mbappé family boarded a private jet with five rooms or something. We really went all out.

“Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food … we couldn’t be seen. We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris!”

Klopp’s account underlined a clear advantage Liverpool believed it had: Mbappé’s mother and primary advisor, Fayza Lamari, is a known Liverpool fan. That connection was referenced by Mbappé himself when he reflected on the contact between the parties.

“I talked to Liverpool because it’s the favorite club of my mum, my mum loves Liverpool,” Mbappé recalled in 2022. “I don’t know why, you will have to ask her.

“It’s a good club and we met them five years ago. When I was in Monaco I met them. It’s a big club. Of course, it was between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the end.”

Ultimately Paris Saint-Germain secured Mbappé, parting with a reported €180 million (around $204 million at the time) after an initial loan arrangement. Liverpool, left without Mbappé, moved in different directions in the transfer market. Klopp had wanted Julian Brandt but the club instead completed a signing for Mohamed Salah from Roma.

Salah went on to enjoy a nine-year tenure at Liverpool and established himself as one of the club’s and the Premier League’s most influential players. The transfer choices of that summer remain a clear example of how a single result in the market can reshape a club’s trajectory.

The Premier League summer window is active and clubs have finalised a wide range of deals as preparations continue for the 2026/27 season. Last summer saw more than $4 billion spent across the division and this window has already produced multiple large transfers.

Arsenal, champions last season, have made one confirmed permanent signing so far: Piero Hincapié from Bayer Leverkusen for £34.5 million following a strong loan spell. The club are otherwise operating from a position of strength as the window progresses.

Chelsea have bolstered their squad with several high-profile additions. Geovany Quenda joined from Sporting CP for £44 million and Marco Palestra arrived from Atalanta for £43 million. The club also signed Denner from Corinthians for £8.7 million, Dastan Satpayev from Kairat Almaty for £2.1 million and Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg for an undisclosed fee. The addition of Marco Palestra for significant money suggests Chelsea’s usual transfer policy is unchanged.

Liverpool have seen a number of departures and arrivals. Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson have left Anfield, while Jérémy Jacquet signed from Rennes for £60 million and Víctor Muñoz was acquired from Osasuna for £34.5 million. Several other exits have been recorded, with players released or leaving on free transfers.

Manchester City made headlines with Elliot Anderson joining from Nottingham Forest for £116 million, a club-record move in the window. Mathys Detourbet was signed from Troyes for £21.4 million and later listed as a loan to Monaco. Other movements include Bernardo Silva to Real Madrid on a free and Nathan Aké to Fenerbahçe for £8.5 million.

Manchester United have not officially closed summer deals at the time of reporting, though Atalanta midfielder Éderson is expected to be their first addition. The club has seen departures including Casemiro and Jadon Sancho on free transfers, and André Onana moved on loan to Trabzonspor.

Tottenham have reshaped their squad with major fees for Sandro Tonali (£100 million), Mateus Fernandes (£85 million) and Jan Paul van Hecke (£52 million), while signing experienced players on free transfers including Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dúbravka. The transfer market remains fluid and more deals are expected before the window closes.

On the eve of the first anniversary of Diogo Jota and André Silva’s untimely deaths, Liverpool installed a permanent memorial at Anfield to honour the brothers. The club had retired Jota’s number 20 ahead of the 2025–26 season and, one year on, unveiled a sculpture by Emma Rodgers on 97 Avenue at Anfield titled ‘Forever 20’.

The work features a flowing heart sculpture mounted above a Granby Rock‑faced stone plinth. The heart is an explicit homage to Jota’s goal celebration and bears the brothers’ shirt numbers, 20 and 30, along with the lyrics to Jota’s Liverpool song. The stone plinth carries both brothers’ names and YNWA beneath the inscription ‘Forever 20’ and ‘He will take us to victory. Oh, his name is Diogo.’

Personal tributes were incorporated into the piece. Sections of scarves and shirts supplied by supporters are set in wax and embedded in the memorial, while a single flower previously left by a fan has been cast in bronze. A PlayStation controller sits on the plinth as an additional nod to Jota’s well known celebration.

“In its creation, and through the hands of sculptor Emma Rodgers, this memorial has been inspired by the many personal tributes and mementoes left at Anfield by visitors from across the international football community.

“Some of these tributes are contained within the sculpture and plinth via a unique manufacturing process. It means they are forever embedded. Based on a continuous flowing heart design incorporating the brothers’ shirt numbers 20 and 30, the artwork not only conveys the enduring bond they shared, but also expresses the love and admiration in which they were held by their family teammates and fans—with the heart gesture itself reflecting Diogo’s signature goal celebration.

“This memorial honors the brothers’ lives and celebrates their lasting legacy.”

After the unveiling, the club issued a statement to outline the intent behind the design and the tribute to the brothers.