Kelleher Exit Talk Grows As Liverpool Eye Trafford And Costa
kelleher is back in the conversation at Liverpool because the club’s goalkeeping plan has shifted again. Richard Hughes signed Giorgi Mamardashvili in 2024, but Liverpool are now linked with James Trafford and Diogo Costa.
The move points away from a simple long-term answer in goal. Mamardashvili arrived for £25m after a year on loan at Valencia and was brought in as a backup goalkeeper, a setup that had already suggested Kelleher was expected to move on.
Hughes And Mamardashvili
Hughes made Mamardashvili his first signing as Liverpool sporting director, then watched the goalkeeper spend another year at Valencia before joining in 2025. That timeline already made the deal unusual, and it now looks even more fluid because Liverpool are active around other names so soon after the transfer.
Mamardashvili has not had a clean run at Anfield. He was stretchered off during the Merseyside derby on 19 April 2026, scans later showed a deep wound to his knee rather than structural damage, and Arne Slot said on 24 April 2026 that he would be unavailable for “the upcoming weeks.”
Trafford And Diogo Costa
Those absences pushed Freddie Woodman into duty as third-choice cover while both senior keepers were out. By 29 April 2026, Mamardashvili had made 18 appearances in his debut season for Liverpool, including eight Premier League games, and he kept two clean sheets with a 67.5% save percentage in the league.
That record is part of why the latest links matter. Liverpool have been tied to Manchester City’s James Trafford and to Porto’s Diogo Costa through Apito Final in Portugal, which suggests the club is keeping its options open rather than settling quickly on Mamardashvili as the final answer.
Alisson Becker And 2027
The wider picture reaches beyond one backup role. Alisson Becker has a contract clause that runs until 2027, but he has also been heavily linked with a move to Italy, and Mamardashvili has already been used more than expected because of Alisson’s recurring fitness issues.
For Liverpool, that leaves a crowded and unsettled goalkeeping group: Kelleher in the background, Mamardashvili in the squad after a £25m move, Alisson tied down through 2027, and new names now entering the conversation. Hughes’ first goalkeeper signing is already being treated like a position battle instead of a settled succession plan, and Georgia will also be watching because Mamardashvili is expected to be a key figure for them at the 2026 World Cup in June.
