A deal that makes you do a double take

Liverpool selling to Manchester City. Let that settle for a moment. The first deal between these two clubs since Raheem Sterling headed up the M62 over a decade ago, and it involves one of the more popular figures in the current dressing room. Cody Gakpo, 51 goals and 20 assists into his Anfield career, looks set to swap red for sky blue, and the peculiarity of it all is genuinely difficult to shake.

The context surrounding the Sterling transfer was, at least, straightforward. Liverpool were nowhere near City in the pecking order at that point, Sterling had made his feelings abundantly clear, and the relationship with supporters had curdled beyond repair. This is nothing like that. Gakpo has not agitated. He has not sulked. He has, by all accounts, been a well-liked presence in the squad, particularly among the Dutch contingent of Ryan Gravenberch, Jeremie Frimpong and club captain Virgil van Dijk. The difference this time is that City have come calling and Gakpo, it seems, would jump at the chance. You can hardly blame the man for that, but it does not make Liverpool's apparent willingness to engage any less eyebrow-raising.

The squad erosion that nobody wanted to talk about

What makes this sting more than it perhaps should is the sheer scale of what has already walked out of the door since that Premier League title was confirmed. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate, Caoimhin Kelleher, Jarell Quansah, Curtis Jones, all gone. A title-winning squad, dismantled at a pace that has left supporters struggling to keep up. Gakpo would be the latest addition to that list, and arguably the most surprising given that he started this campaign impressively and only a year ago signed a new contract in which he spoke warmly about adding more beautiful memories to his time at the club.

The irony of that anniversary is not lost on anyone paying attention. Sunday marks exactly one year since that deal was put to bed, the kind of contract that was supposed to signal intent, to tie down a player the club clearly valued. In reality, it has done its practical job by preserving his market value at a time when the numbers being thrown around feel almost detached from football entirely. The suggestion of an £85m fee is steep on the surface, but when you learn that City received that exact figure from Tottenham for Savio, a player with considerably less of a Premier League and Champions League record than Gakpo, it starts to look rather more justifiable.

The replacement problem that could hold everything up

Here is where Liverpool's position becomes genuinely complicated. The club have spent the entire summer attempting to bolster their wide options, and now face the prospect of shipping out one of their most capable forwards with the deadline hours away and no like-for-like replacement confirmed. Yankuba Minteh has been discussed, but Brighton have knocked back two bids and are holding firm around the £80m mark. Checks have been made on Ismaila Sarr at Crystal Palace. There were early conversations with Paris Saint-Germain regarding Ibrahim Mbaye, though he now appears close to joining Aston Villa instead. Said El Mala of FC Koln has featured on a shortlist. An enquiry was even made about Endrick, only for Real Madrid to make clear he was not available.

The imminent arrival of Bradley Barcola from PSG for £123m is significant, and there is no question he transforms what Liverpool can offer going forward. But the club themselves remain active for at least one more wide attacker before Tuesday's 11pm deadline, which tells you everything about how thin the current options are. Their recruitment team have reportedly been described as 'spinning plates' at this stage of the window, a phrase that captures the barely-controlled chaos of deadline week rather well. The bottom line is simple: Liverpool will almost certainly not sanction Gakpo's departure until a replacement is through the door. Whether they can make that happen in the time that remains will determine everything about how this story ends.