Liverpool sit at the summit of the Premier League table and are looking like a genuine contender to win the league amidst Manchester City and Arsenal’s poor form. However, behind the scenes, there is a growing sense of doom as some of their biggest names are out of contract in the summer and are yet to sign a new deal.
While Liverpool are growing increasingly confident of convincing Virgil van Dijk to sign a new deal, the club are very much in the dark about the intentions of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Salah was left furious by Liverpool’s initial offer but is still prioritising staying at Anfield while demanding a three-year contract from the Merseyside giants.
The Merseyside giants have no idea what Alexander-Arnold wants but there is an increasing din about the defender eventually agreeing to move to Real Madrid on a free transfer at the end of the season.
All three players will be free to hold talks with clubs outside England from January onwards if progress is not made in negotiations over a new deal from now until then.
‘They will be set back by years’ – grim prediction for the Reds
Liverpool are pushing hard to convince the trio to sign new deals and commit their futures to the Merseyside giants.
However, apart from Van Dijk, it seems the Reds have made very little progress in talks over a new contract with either Alexander-Arnold or Salah.
Former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster insisted that Liverpool can’t even afford to lose two of those three players on a free transfer next summer.
Can you name the club Liverpool sold these players to?
He insisted that all three are the best players in their positions and it would cost the Reds a fortune to replace them, which is unlikely to happen.
The former goalkeeper stressed that losing even two of the three will set Liverpool back by years given their quality and impact on the team.
“If Liverpool lose Trent, Virgil and Mo Salah, or even if they lose two of them, then that can set Liverpool back five years”, Foster said on Fozcast.
“You can’t replace the best player in the world just like that and you can’t replace the best Premier League centre-back for the last five to six years.
“Even Trent, who hasn’t even come to the peak of his powers yet, it’s impossible to replace. You’re talking £150million for each one of them if you want to replace them. Simple as that.”
