Liverpool in trouble: Salah, Van Dijk & Alexander-Arnold dilemma

There is a genuine cause for concern amongst the Liverpool camp surrounding the future of their team. The start to life under Arne Slot has been fairly successful with The Reds sitting top of the Premier League table. The Arne Slot led side have won eleven matches in all competitions this season, losing only one match to Nottingham Forest. However, despite this strong start, the atmosphere around the club is uncertain due to the current situation of three key players.

Trent Alexander-Arnold with The Premier League trophy.

Mohammed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold have been monumental to Liverpool’s success during the Jürgen Klopp era. With the trio in their team, Liverpool have enjoyed triumphs in the Premier League, FA Cup, Football League Cup, FA Community Shield, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. However, despite being key figures for the club in the last seven years, Liverpool find themselves at risk of losing all three this summer for the price of nothing.

Mohammed Salah after scoring at Old Trafford.

Speaking with Daniel Sturridge on Sky Sports earlier in the season, Mohammed Salah said: “I had a good summer… as you know it is my last year in the club. I just want to enjoy it.” Salah signed for Liverpool in 2017 from Roma for £34 million. For the club, Salah has scored 159 goals in a total of 257 matches. The winger currently holds the record for the most Champions League goals and Premier League goals for Liverpool. With the Egyptian winger virtually announcing his summer departure from the club, many fans were understandably concerned. It was just over a year ago that Liverpool had received and rejected offers of around £200 million from the Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad for Salah. Now, the 32-year-old will be departing for free and can negotiate with clubs abroad from January.

With the future of Mohammed Salah set in stone, Liverpool fans could not have imagined what would follow. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been at Liverpool for the entirety of his professional career. The England international has made 233 appearances for the Merseyside club but has been recently linked with a move away from the Premier League. Just like Mohammed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract with Liverpool expires in the summer and as you can imagine teams across the globe are fixated on the situation. No team is more keen on signing the 26-year-old than current Champions League holders, Real Madrid.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is a Real Madrid target.

Real Madrid have been interested in Alexander-Arnold for some time now, and it is believed that the La Liga club have scouted the right back for over a year. The ACL injury to Dani Carvajal suffered earlier in the month has made Real Madrid even more desperate to sign Liverpool’s star full back. With the severe demand for the player's signature, it remains uncertain whether the club will retain the services of Alexander-Arnold. Sources close to me have detailed that the move to Real Madrid is significantly more likely than a Liverpool contract extension. It would be bad enough for Liverpool to lose two stars, but a third and their club captain would be truly tragic for Arne Slot but yet it is a large possibility.

Virgil Van Dijk scored the winning goal in the 2024 EFL Cup final against Chelsea.

Club captain Virgil Van Dijk signed for Liverpool in 2018 for a fee of £75 million from Southampton. Since this switch, Van Dijk has proven himself to be one of the greatest defenders in Premier League history. Even though his reputation is vast, Liverpool’s board have still failed to secure the captain under contract and face the prospect of also losing him in summer. Speaking about his current contract situation, Van Dijk stated: “Whatever happens next year, we will see. Everything happens for a reason. There has been no change in my situation, but I am very calm about it.” Luckily from listening to the Dutch international it seems like he is keen to stay at Liverpool, but there is still fear as the decision ultimately lies in his hands. Liverpool have put themselves in a situation where they do not hold any leverage over the future of their key players.

All in all, Liverpool’s board and Arne Slot will have to discuss and deliberate on how they can avoid similar situations like this in the future. Although the speculation has not interfered with the club's performances, it is still possible that as we get further into the season the uncertainty could cause negative changes around the club. Ultimately, it is undeniably a frustrating situation for all parties involved. The frustration is even more so felt amongst the Liverpool fans who have no idea what the future holds for their club and star players.