Liverpool get journalist’s green light to sign ‘smart’ Crystal Palace star with £41.2m duo to LEAVE
Liverpool have been told that a move to sign Crystal Palace star Tyrick Mitchell “makes a great deal of sense” with new sporting director Julian Ward expected to sign a new left-back in 2027, and with two stars now being strongly touted to leave Anfield next year.
The Reds have confirmed the appointment of Ward as the successor to Richard Hughes, who departed for Al-Hilal earlier this month. And while Ward is expected to oversee a more frugal era of spending at Liverpool compared to his predecessor – who smashed through the £100m barrier on three occasions – there are still plenty of areas of the side that do need attention.
One of them most definitely comes at left-back. The £40m capture of Milos Kerkez in 2025 has not yet paid off, with the Hungarian yet to really show the sort of form that convinced Liverpool to splash out such a significant fee.
And with Kostas Tsimikas not in favour and expected to leave, Ward is expected to put a lot of focus into a new addition there.
Links to Palace star Mitchell are starting to gather pace. The two-cap England star is out of contract at the season’s end and, while Crystal Palace are desperate to open talks over an extension, interest in the 27-year-old could result in his exit.
We’ve already reported how Manchester United are ready to launch a move for his services in January.
However, Liverpool are also reportedly keen, and now journalist David Lynch has explained why his signing would tick plenty of boxes for the Reds.
“Someone like Mitchell as a left-back on a free transfer; he’s homegrown as well. That would be a pretty smart signing,” Lynch told Anfield Index’s YouTube channel.
“I think there’s a good chance he’d be coming and be really good competition at left-back for Liverpool.
“I think he’s quite a good player and, as I say, he ticks the homegrown box as well.”
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Liverpool duo expected to leave in 2027
The Reds could look to sign Mitchell for a nominal fee in January, or risk waiting it out until next summer when he could move to Anfield as a free agent. Competition is expected to be tough, either way.
As a result, Lynch acknowledges: “It kind of depends on what the competition is around him and how high the contract offers start to go.
“He could be offered to be a starter somewhere maybe,” Lynch added. “So, you know, maybe that makes it harder.”
However, he added: “He’d be a sensible one for me.”
The right-back issues at Anfield have seemingly been fixed by on-loan defender Ronald Araujo in the here and now, though Lynch cannot rule out Liverpool also strengthening there.
But before that happens, he can see Ward clearly out some deadwood in Andoni Iraola’s squad, with both Jeremie Frimpong, a £29.5m signing from Bayer Leverkusen in summer 2025, and Tsimikas, who joined for £11.75m from Olympiacos back in 2020, expected to be moved on.
“It just wouldn’t be a surprise to see Kostas go at the end of the season,” Lynch said.
As for Frimpong, he added: “I’ll be surprised if we get to the end of the season and you just kind of cut the losses there and think it was an experiment that didn’t really work out.”
Those potential departures would create space for Ward to reshape Liverpool’s options.
“With Tsimikas maybe likely to go on the left as well, you’re opening up some spots for you to do some business there at full-back,” Lynch explained.
On the subject of Araujo, we revealed on Monday how Ward has now reached an instant decision on signing the star on a permanent deal from Barcelona.
Ward is also expected to strengthen Liverpool’s midfield in 2027, and sources can reveal how Liverpool have established contact with an elite Real Madrid star, whose multi-year contract will not stop them from looking into a potential deal.
