Alan Shearer reckons Liverpool's summer transfer business is heading in the right direction, and he's backing the club to get deals over the line in wide positions sooner rather than later.

The Premier League's all-time leading scorer has been watching developments around Yan Diomande and Bradley Barcola with interest, and believes announcements in those areas are inevitable given what's happened at Anfield recently.

Salah's departure last month after 442 appearances has left a massive hole that needs filling. His final outing in the red shirt came in that 1-1 draw with Brentford, bringing the curtain down on a glittering Anfield career as Liverpool secured fifth place and Champions League qualification.

Now the rebuild begins in earnest, and Shearer can see exactly why certain names keep cropping up in the rumour mill.

"Liverpool are going to have to go again in the transfer market," Shearer told Betfair. "Mohamed Salah's gone, so they obviously need someone to replace him. They've also got Rio Ngumoha, who's obviously a great talent, but for the future."

The focus appears firmly fixed on wide positions, which makes perfect sense given the circumstances. Diomande represents the most concrete option right now, with talks ongoing between Liverpool and RB Leipzig over the Ivory Coast international.

The 19-year-old has been making waves in the Bundesliga and showed his quality on the international stage last night, earning Player of the Match honours as his country beat Ecuador 1-0 in their World Cup opener. But Leipzig aren't making this easy, showing reluctance to part with one of Germany's rising stars.

Meanwhile, Barcola's situation at Paris Saint-Germain has opened another door. Reports suggest the European champions have told the winger he can leave, and Liverpool's interest has been well documented.

Shearer sees the logic in both pursuits and doesn't expect the club to hang about much longer.

"So Liverpool need several players, I think, if they want to compete again at the very top. And certainly, in wide positions they're going to have to strengthen," he explained.

"I'm not surprised with who they're being linked with like Diomande and Barcola. I guess it's only a matter of time before that that would be the position that they announce."

The urgency becomes clearer when you consider the scale of the summer exodus. Salah's departure was the headline act, but Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson also played their final games for the club last month, leaving significant gaps across multiple positions.

Under Andoni Iraola's guidance, Liverpool clearly need reinforcements if they're serious about mounting a Premier League title challenge. The manager will be looking at those wide areas as priority positions, especially with young talents like Ngumoha still developing for the future rather than ready to shoulder immediate first-team responsibilities.

Shearer's prediction about imminent announcements carries weight given his understanding of how these things typically unfold. The groundwork has been laid, the talks are happening, and the need is obvious.

Whether Leipzig can be persuaded to part with Diomande remains the key question, but Liverpool's persistence in those discussions suggests confidence about finding a breakthrough.