Watching more than £100million worth of talent walk out the exit without any recompense would normally be a cause for alarm in any business.
And even in the somewhat strange world of football, that Liverpool are poised to lose such a wealth of personnel already indicates the close season will be a summer unlike any other.
Roberto Firmino has already confirmed he will leave at the end of the campaign when his current contract expires. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is poised to follow suit, with talks having long stalled over a new deal for Naby Keita. Adrian, another approaching the end of his present agreement, is expected to leave, while James Milner continues to ponder a future that, given his current situation, will be elsewhere next season.
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Bought for a combined total of £116m, it represents the most expensively-bought set of free transfer departures since the Bosman ruling in the late 1990s that ushered in greater power for players in their movement between clubs when out of contract.
Of course, it's not as though Liverpool haven't extracted value - some more so than others - from the quintet, each playing their own role as the Reds swept the board of honours under Jurgen Klopp. And while there will be no fees incoming, there will be a significant saving on their respective wages.
Nevertheless, the departure of so many senior players means that, even allowing for the continued promotion of youngsters such as Stefan Bajcetic, Bobby Clark and Ben Doak, there will need to be a number of new arrivals brought in.
Liverpool, though, are unlikely to much use the free agent market to their advantage. And it has been the trend for some time, for which there are a number of key reasons.
Under Klopp, Joel Matip is the standout free transfer arrival, bought during the first summer window in 2016. Since then, though, any free agents have been reserve goalkeepers in Alex Manninger, Adrian and Andy Lonergan.
It wasn't always the case for Liverpool. Milner, brought in mere months before Klopp's arrival having decided to move on from Manchester City, is perhaps the most successful free transfer made by Liverpool. Over the years, Kolo Toure, Craig Bellamy, Bolo Zenden, Robbie Fowler, Fabio Aurelio, Maxi Rodriguez, Markus Babbel and Gary McAllister have also proven successes when signed for no transfer fee.
But Liverpool were a much different beast back then, regularly challenging for honours but not regarded among Europe's leading clubs. The higher the standard of squad, the less likely it is that free transfers will improve what has gone before. And the general landscape has similarly changed, with clubs far more canny in how they allow contracts to be run down.
Consider the free transfers made by Liverpool's main Premier League rivals during the Klopp era.
Manchester United's only notable such arrivals have been forward duo Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani, both from Paris Saint-Germain, while the French side also provided Chelsea with Thiago Silva. Tottenham Hotspur last summer brought in Ivan Perisic, while Arsenal have previously been more busy with Willian, Cedric Soares, Stephan Lichsteiner and Sead Kolasinac. Manchester City, similar to Liverpool, have restricted themselves to reserve goalkeepers. All bar two of those players mentioned were in their 30s when making the move.
With prominent names such as Lionel Messi, N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, Ilkay Gundogan, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric all poised to fall out of contract in the summer, that many free agents will be near the end of their careers will continue.
Not all, however. Adrien Rabiot of Juventus is one, and has again been linked with Liverpool. The France international midfielder isn't a name on the Reds' wanted list - while a mere free agent pup at 28 next month, he nevertheless doesn't fit the regular Fenway Sports Group transfer profile - but cannot be completely discounted as the recruitment team remains open-minded about what will be possible in the summer, depending on the funds and players available. Most leading clubs are in a similar position, making work on specific targets particularly tricky this far out from the end of the season.
What's obvious, though, is Liverpool, like many of their chief rivals, no longer view free agents as a valuable source of squad strengthening. In the modern era, it's becoming increasingly difficult to get something for nothing.
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