Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool successor will find a trio of problems at Anfield.
Liverpool’s next manager will likely want the futures of key trio Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah resolved as a matter of urgency during the summer. All three players have contracts that expire in 2025, leaving the Reds facing the possibility of seeing each of them depart at the same time.
On Friday, Alexander-Arnold was linked with a blockbuster transfer to Real Madrid. According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Los Blancos have been monitoring the defender’s contractual situation.
It is claimed that no talks have taken place between Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold’s representatives over an extension. He penned his latest deal in 2021 and has become a vitally important player under Jurgen Klopp.
So too have Van Dijk and Salah. Dutchman Van Dijk hinted that he was unsure of his future in the aftermath of Klopp’s decision to leave, although quickly sought to clarify that this did not mean he was set to leave Anfield.
Van Dijk will turn 34 during the summer in which his contract expires and might no longer be at the top of his game. Liverpool will need to map out the long-term future of their back four before deciding what they can offer the long-serving centre-back.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian clubs are likely to rekindle their interest in Salah this summer. Liverpool reportedly turned down world-record bids for the winger last year, but will not have as much power in negotiations with only 12 months remaining on his deal this time around.
Players can discuss pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs from January 1 in which their contract expires. It means that, for example, Alexander-Arnold could join Real Madrid on a free transfer if Liverpool have not tied him down to a new deal in the next nine months.
Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher believes Alexander-Arnold’s situation is the club’s top concern. “Virgil van Dijk is not the biggest worry and neither is Mo Salah. It’s Trent Alexander-Arnold,” Carragher told the Stick To Football Podcast earlier this year.
