Liverpool transfer news: Defender jets out as massive move now imminent

A defender has seemingly jetted out and a move must now be imminent.

Richard Hughes' time at Liverpool appears to be coming to an end.

The sporting director is expected to leave Anfield and join Al Hilal once the summer transfer window closes, meaning he has only a few weeks left to finish what he started.

And there is still plenty for him to do.

Liverpool are going through a pretty major period of change right now. There is a new manager in Andoni Iraola, new players coming through the door and even new minority shareholders behind the scenes. It really does feel like the club is entering a new era.

The problem is that we haven't seen all of that change reflected in the squad just yet.

There is still plenty of work to be done before the window shuts, and the next couple of weeks could be absolutely crucial.

For Hughes, this is effectively his final opportunity to leave Liverpool with his reputation intact.

He deserves credit for helping bring Iraola to the club, and that appointment could ultimately prove to be a major success. But there is also no getting away from the fact that Liverpool were left with a pretty unbalanced squad last season.

The players Hughes signed could still turn out to be excellent additions. It is far too early to judge some of them properly.

For now, though, it feels like Hughes will leave with many Liverpool supporters feeling fairly indifferent about his departure.

He has one final chance to change that.

Hughes still has one huge job on his hands before the transfer window closes: Liverpool's attack needs a serious refresh.

The club need more pace, more movement and, above all, someone capable of making up for the massive contribution Mohamed Salah has left behind.

So far, it hasn't exactly gone to plan.

Yan Diomande was seen as the ideal candidate to fill that void, but Liverpool missed out and the winger has now joined Real Madrid. That has left the Reds having to go back to the market and find another solution.

And it could get even more complicated.

Liverpool may not only have to replace Salah. Cody Gakpo could also be heading for the exit, with Tottenham pushing hard to bring the Dutchman to north London. The Reds appear increasingly willing to consider a deal if the right offer arrives.

If both players leave, Liverpool would be losing the two players who contributed the most goals and assists during their 2024/25 title-winning campaign. That's a huge amount of attacking production to replace.

At the same time, though, Liverpool have an opportunity to change the way their attack works.

With Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz now in the squad, the Reds don't necessarily need to find another player who simply tries to replicate what Salah did.

They need different profiles around them.

More pace. More runners in behind. More players capable of stretching defences and creating space for Isak and Wirtz to operate.

The challenge for Hughes is making sure Liverpool don't simply replace numbers, but actually build an attack that suits the new-look team.

On top of this, one of his biggest challenges will be to find a suitable destination for Ifeanyi Ndukwe. One of the stars of Liverpool's pre-season, he doesn't qualify for a work-permit and therefore has to be loaned out by the Reds.

It looks like Hughes may be closer to finding a solution. Ndukwe was not involved in Liverpool's pre-season matches against Como.

Instead he posted a picture of himself getting a new trim on Instagram. The account who gave him the new look is called @hairtingzbyelo and it's a company based in Vienna.

So it's safe to assume Ndukwe has jetted out of Liverpool ahead of an imminent move and got a fresh new look as well.