Liverpool News Roundup: Fekir says Anfield move collapsed because of his agent, Reds forward picks up an injury while on international duty, and more - 4 September 2021

After remaining passive in the recently concluded summer transfer window, Liverpool will hope to make the best use of their resources post the international break, and mount a title challenge.

On that note, here's a look at the latest Liverpool news and rumors as of September 4, 2021.

---

Liverpool name their 24-man squad for the Champions League

Liverpool have named their 24-man squad for the Champions League, and the likes of Divock Origi and Harvey Elliot have made the cut.

Loris Karius, who Liverpool failed to offload in the summer transfer window, has been omitted from the squad.

Adrian has made the cut, and he is expected to be the reserve goalkeeper behind first-choice Alisson Becker, and the backup Caoimhín Kelleher.

Goalkeepers: Alisson Becker, Adrian, Caoimhín Kelleher

Defenders: Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez, Kostas Tsimikas, Andrew Robertson, Joel Matip, Nathaniel Phillips, Trent Alexander-Arnold

Midfielders: Fabinho, Thiago, James Milner, Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Harvey Elliott

Forwards: Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Takumi Minamino, Diogo Jota, Divock Origi

Takumi Minamino withdraws from the national squad

Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino picked up an injury in training for Japan, and has hence been released from Japanese national team training.

The extent of the injury is yet to be confirmed, although the Liverpool Echo claim that it isn’t a serious one.

SAMURAI BLUE　南野拓実選手途中離脱のお知らせ #jfa #daihyo https://t.co/I8tJ4mWjgS

— サッカー日本代表【🇯🇵】vs🇨🇳9.7＠ドーハ (@jfa_samuraiblue) September 4, 2021

The injury, regardless of the seriousness, is a blow as Liverpool are likely to be without Roberto Firmino for a few weeks after his hamstring issue.

Liverpool decided not to strengthen their attack and that could come back to haunt them if too many of their attackers pick up niggling issues.

Fekir blames his agent for collapsed Liverpool move

Nabil Fekir has blamed his agent for not signing for Liverpool in 2018. The Frenchman was set to join the Reds in 2018, but the deal collapsed in the end.

"It was said the knee stopped me going to Liverpool but that wasn’t true."World Cup winner Nabil Fekir discusses transfer heartbreak, his forthcoming Celtic date, African aid work and the challenges of fasting✍️ @henrywinter https://t.co/m0sWl6QfSf

— Times Sport (@TimesSport) September 4, 2021

Reports then did the round claiming Liverpool did not sign Fekir because they saw an issue with his knee. Fekir, however, has said that his move ultimately collapsed because of his agent.

"I had a problem with my agent, my adviser. It was the agent responsible for the deal not going through. Of course I was disappointed not to go to Liverpool, very disappointed because Liverpool are a great club. I met the coach, Jürgen Klopp, and it went well. After meeting him, I wanted to join Liverpool even more.

"He’s a good person. It was really difficult to deal with as I really wanted to go to Liverpool. It was a moment that was not easy for me. They needed to find a reason for the deal not going through and so they blamed it on the knee."