It is only pre-season, but Liverpool's summer already has more moving parts than a deadline day ticker. Andoni Iraola is currently stateside with a squad of 31 players, preparing for fixtures against Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds United, and yet the noise coming from back home is anything but quiet.

Let's start with the headline that has got plenty of people talking. Fenway Sports Group have confirmed that a consortium of investors, led by British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia, has approached them regarding a stake in the club. And if that was not enough to raise an eyebrow, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is also reported to have held talks over potential involvement. The consortium is understood to be backed by the Mittal family, whose net worth has most recently been valued at over £26 billion. To put that number in context, it is the kind of figure that makes the football world sit up very straight indeed.

FSG have been careful to manage expectations here. No agreement is in place and talks remain at an early stage. But the fact that conversations are happening at all, at this level, with these names attached, signals that something significant could be brewing at Anfield. Liverpool supporters will want to see investment translate into ambition on the pitch — and with a winger search still ongoing and transfer business relatively modest so far, the timing of this news is interesting to say the least.

On that note, Iraola has acknowledged publicly that right-back could be another area of focus this window. The manager's candour is refreshing, even if it raises questions about the current depth of the squad heading into a new campaign.

One name that has emerged in connection with Liverpool is Tottenham Hotspur's Djed Spence. The 25-year-old caught the eye during the 2026 World Cup with England, and whilst Inter Milan had been linked with him as a replacement for Denzel Dumfries, reports from Italy now suggest the Serie A club have decided to look elsewhere. That could work in Liverpool's favour, with claims that Spence has already attracted genuine interest from the Reds due to his versatility. With Milos Kerkez and Kostas Tsimikas covering the left side, Spence's ability to operate across the backline appears to be what has piqued Iraola's attention. Nothing concrete yet, but one to watch.

Closer to home, the situation surrounding Harvey Elliott deserves proper attention rather than a passing mention. The 22-year-old — sorry, 23-year-old — returned to the club after a difficult loan spell at Aston Villa, where the option to make the deal permanent was not taken up. Liverpool are said to be open to selling him this summer if he fails to impress during pre-season. That is a pivotal crossroads for a player who, not so long ago, looked like one of the most exciting young talents in English football.

To his credit, Iraola has spoken warmly about what he has seen from Elliott since his return. The manager said: "Harvey is here with us. He has come [in early] also. I've seen him with this eagerness to show himself, to get himself ready again. He will have a chance during the pre-season; we will need him."

Iraola continued: "It's a good sign that he came a week earlier — he's been training with the under-21s — and I hope we can see him in a good place. I think, Harvey, last season had to be very difficult for him because it was a strange situation where basically they couldn't even put him in to play. I think he uses what he has experienced, the bad situation, to make him even more eager to be a Liverpool player."

That is a manager giving a player a very public vote of confidence, and fair play to Iraola for it. Elliott clearly has something to prove — to himself as much as anyone. Pre-season in America could define the next chapter of his Liverpool career, one way or another.

Elsewhere, the club has announced a significant crackdown on ticket touting that deserves more coverage than it typically gets. Working alongside Merseyside Police, Liverpool seized upwards of £1.2 million in assets linked to organised touting operations, with hundreds of lifetime bans handed out. The club analysed close to 700,000 ticket registrations last season alone, identifying almost 68,000 believed to be from fake accounts — all of which were blocked or cancelled. A further 121,000 accounts remain under investigation, with several cases still progressing under the Proceeds of Crime Act. For supporters who have been priced out or locked out by touts, this is genuinely good news. The club is clearly taking it seriously.

And finally, Alexis Mac Allister has broken his silence on Argentina's World Cup heartbreak. Writing on Instagram after his country's 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in the final, the Liverpool midfielder addressed the controversy surrounding the Argentine squad appearing to turn their backs on Spain's celebrations. Mac Allister wrote: "We were so close… that's why it hurts so much. But no one can take away everything we experienced during this World Cup."

He added: "There are moments that are forever etched in our lives and in our hearts," before offering a touching tribute to the supporters who greeted the squad in Buenos Aires despite rain and cold. He also had a sharp word for critics from outside Argentina: "Thank you also to those from other countries who send us messages mocking or rejoicing in our pain." Dignified, honest, and very much on brand for a player who always speaks from the heart.

With pre-season fixtures on the horizon and transfer business still very much in motion, Liverpool's summer is only going to get more interesting from here.