Arne Slot leaves Liverpool star out of first matchday squad amid shock interest from Premier League rivals
Liverpool star Joe Gomez has been left out of the club's squad for their season opener amid interest from multiple Premier League sides.
The Reds kick off the Arne Slot era with a lunchtime trip to Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Saturday and there is a notable omission in the matchday squad.
Jarell Quansah got the nod to partner Virgil van Dijk ahead of Ibrahima Konate, who was named as a substitute.
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But there was no place on the bench for Gomez, who has not travelled to Ipswich as he is "exploring his options" going into the final stretch of the transfer window according to Paul Joyce from The Times.
The England international has admirers in Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Fulham and Chelsea, with foreign sides also keeping tabs on his situation.
Bayern Munich has been mentioned as a potential destination after offloading defensive pair Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to Manchester United for a combined £60 million.
Gomez leaving for pastures new is not a foregone conclusion and it's stressed that the former Charlton player is not being forced out by the club.
But he is pondering whether it is in his best interests to move on for regular game-time, with the club and player engaging in "grown up discussions".
Earlier in the window, Newcastle and Liverpool looked to complete a swap deal involving Gomez and Anthony Gordon.
The Magpies valued Gomez at £45 million and the transfer was seen as a way of getting around Premier League PSR rules.
However, they ended up selling other players instead and have made Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi a top target.
Gomez is an appealing addition for many due to his ability to across the backline to a high level.
But Liverpool will not push to offload their current longest-serving player and would have no problem bringing him back into the fold if a move does not come to fruition.
Josh Lawless