Liverpool defender Joe Gomez is reportedly the subject of interest from several clubs in the Premier League.
Having been at Anfield since 2015, the 27-year-old is one of the longest-serving and most respected members of the dressing room.
As a player who can be deployed all across the backline, Gomez's importance to the squad cannot be understated at a time when Liverpool are yet to sign a new centre-back to replace Joel Matip.
However, partly due to his versatility, Gomez has rarely been a first-choice pick over a sustained period of time, with 38 of his 140 Premier League outings for Liverpool coming from the substitutes' bench.
With Arne Slot in charge, he faces the challenge of trying to impress a new head coach, something that has been hindered due to his late return to training after being part of England's Euro 2024 squad.
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Plenty of Premier League suitors
Gomez spent the entire tournament on the substitutes' bench as the Three Lions reached the final and faces the prospect of similar happening under Slot.
He was provided with just 17 minutes of the final friendly against Sevilla last Sunday, the expectation having been that he would have been among the replacements for the Premier League opener versus Ipswich Town on Saturday.
Instead, Gomez was left out of the squad, The Times reporting that it was a consequence of Gomez choosing to contemplate his options amid interest from elsewhere.
The former Charlton Athletic youngster did not travel to East Anglia with the rest of the squad with "grown-up" conversations said to have taken place behind the scenes.
Although it is stressed that Gomez is not being forced out of Liverpool, who would happily keep him at the club, there is a respect for the situation.
Aston Villa, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Fulham are all credited as holding an interest in the player with just over two weeks of the summer transfer window remaining.
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Decision time for Gomez
Each of the aforementioned quartet offer something different, most notably Villa who are the only team who can give Gomez Champions League football for 2024-25.
Newcastle could plausibly view Gomez as a less-expensive alternative to Marc Guehi, as well as meeting Eddie Howe's preference for having players in his squad who can play in more than one position.
Chelsea and Fulham are destinations that would give Gomez a return to London, albeit Fulham realistically offering more first-team football than at their neighbours.
Darren Plant
