Arne Slot has chosen his two top Liverpool transfer window spots.

Arne Slot has identified two positions for which he wants to hire, but rumours also circulate that the head coach of Liverpool has spoken with a player who is now playing elsewhere.

This summer is the first Liverpool manager change in nine years, since Jurgen Klopp assumed the position in October 2015.

While Klopp was unable to bolster and bolster his team right away, Reds head coach Arne Slot is free to spend in the transfer market before he is required to play a competitive game. There will be a lot of eyes on the first man in the door. Have they previously worked with Slot? Are they there to take the place of or replace a more seasoned team member? How will the addition of the new player affect the tactical setup?

And so forth. Even though Slot held his first press conference on Friday, we still don’t know who he will sign first. But TEAMtalk has learned the two positions the Dutchman wants to focus on filling this summer.

According to the soccer news website, Slot’s top targets are a new midfield player and a left-sided center-half. Given the opportunity, many Liverpool supporters would have been considering reinforcing the same areas, so this news is hardly shocking. The word “midfielder” is also incredibly ambiguous; will the new player be playing on the wings, putting out fires in front of the defence, or playing at number 10 and threading balls to the forwards?

Teun Koopmeiners, the name listed in the report, is also not a recent addition to the Reds’ rumour mill. In addition to his 58 appearances for Slot at AZ Alkmaar, he most recently assisted Atalanta in defeating Liverpool to win the Europa League. Koopmeiners is apparently valued at $65 million (£50.8m/€60m) at this time.

Additionally, TEAMtalk has disseminated news stories from Germany concerning Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen. According to the report, Liverpool has contacted Slot first in an attempt to get the player, and his release clause is at $43.3 million (£33.8 million/€40 million).

He had previously been extensively connected to the Reds, just like Koopmeiners. However, there is an obvious contradiction at work here. Making contact with a right (wing) defender won’t fix the problem if Slot is so determined to sign a left-sided center-half as a top priority.

However, if Liverpool signs a new player for Trent Alexander-Arnold’s primary job, he is likely to shift into midfield, which could solve his future. It’s possible that the responses to the queries in the second paragraph will eventually come together quite nicely.

According to Liverpool.com, it’s not surprising that contradicting information can appear in a single story given the volume of rumours circulating. Once Liverpool makes the first signing of the Slot era, a lot will become apparent. At that point, the recruiting puzzle will begin to come together.