Liverpool Eye Porto's Diogo Costa as Alisson Successor

The writing appears to be on the wall for Alisson at Liverpool. The 33-year-old Brazilian shot-stopper has already pencilled in personal terms with Juventus, who've tabled a two-year contract with an additional year's option. With the Reds unwilling to extend beyond his current deal, a summer exit looks inevitable—though Alisson is graciously allowing his boyhood club first refusal.

It's a bitter pill to swallow when you consider the departures already lined up. Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah are both heading for the exits too, which means Liverpool stand to lose an alarming amount of experience in one window. Letting their legendary number one walk away alongside that pair feels like a particularly harsh blow.

Yet if the Reds are genuinely prepared to move on from Alisson, the temptation to simply promote Giorgi Mamardashvili from the bench hardly seems straightforward anymore. Sources indicate Liverpool have developed serious reservations about whether the Georgian keeper possesses sufficient quality to step into the breach as a regular starter.

That's prompted a proper scouting mission. Manchester City's James Trafford, Sunderland's Robin Roefs, and Brighton's Bart Verbruggen are all on the radar—the obvious appeal being their proven pedigree in English football. But Liverpool's hierarchy has a clear favourite: Porto's Diogo Costa.

The 26-year-old Portugal international carries a release clause in the region of €60m (£52m), though Liverpool would naturally attempt to negotiate downwards. Costa captains Porto and regularly starts for his country, a measure of his standing in the game. Over the past four seasons, he's landed Primeira Liga goalkeeper of the year honours three times, and he's racked up close to 250 appearances for the Estádio do Dragão outfit since 2019.

His credentials are genuinely impressive. Costa boasts 42 senior caps for Portugal and has claimed two Primeira Liga titles. What appeals to Liverpool's thinking is his complete skill set—his authority in the box, his distribution, and his composure when the pressure mounts. All of which, the theory goes, would translate seamlessly to Premier League football.

Mamardashvili's emergence from the shadows, by contrast, has left Liverpool unconvinced he's ready for the step up. So while other Premier League keepers remain under consideration, it's the Porto captain who represents their most serious pursuit should Alisson's departure materialise this summer.