£276m trio to jet out and join Liverpool's preseason US tour

Liverpool are jetting out on their preseason tour of the United States.

The Reds departed on Monday for Chicago - which will form their base over the next couple of weeks. Andoni Iraola’s side are facing games against Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds United before flying back to finish their preseason campaign on home soil.

Owing to the FIFA World Cup the new Liverpool head coach will be taking some fringe players to the US.

We could see game time for the likes of James McConnell and Joshua Abe for example while World Cup stars are given a well-earned rest.

FIFA World Cup stars given a longer break

Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz went right to the last kick of the tournament - with Argentina downed by Spain in the final on Sunday night.

The club will want to give their top players at least three weeks off - and then they can all get down to business for the 2026/27 season.

Now comes a report in the Athletic that some of those players knocked out earlier in the tournament WILL come in to play a part in the preseason fixtures stateside.

Wirtz, Isak and Gravenberch coming back

Germany’s interest in the competition ended at the first knockout stage by Paraguay with Florian Wirtz coming under scrutiny for his performances.

Sweden - too - were knocked out in the round of 32 by France with Alexander Isak unable to stop Michael Olise, Kylian Mbappe and Co.

In the case of the Netherlands meanwhile they qualified for the last 32 as well but were eliminated on penalty kicks by Morocco.

Liverpool of course have got several Dutch stars - including Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch.

And midfielder Gravenberch is set to join up with the squad along with Wirtz and Isak - two of Liverpool’s record-breaking signings last summer.

Iraola boosted by £276m worth of talent

Gravenberch cost around £35m when he signed from Bayern Munich in 2023 - going down ultimately as a bargain fee.

Wirtz cost a lot more - a fee that could reach £116m from Bayer Leverkusen in a club record deal last summer.

And Isak shattered that record - and the British transfer record - when he left Newcastle for Anfield in a £125m move last year.

That means Iraola is set to have around £276m worth of extra talent at his disposal for the final two games of the USA tour.

“Gravenberch, Wirtz and Isak are expected to link up with the squad next weekend, before the final two games in New York and Chicago,” the report reads.

Liverpool play Sunderland in Nashville before the games against Wrexham in New York and Leeds in Illinois.

This is a crucial bedding-in period for Iraola as he gets to grips with the talent at his disposal. And it’s a huge boost that the 2025 Premier League champions will get to utilise three of their biggest names once the Sunderland fixture is out of the way.