Graeme Souness: Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah will be looking for big money as Liverpool deals are finalised
Graeme Souness expects Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk to leave Liverpool for nothing next summer in search of big paydays.
Both players, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold, have entered the final 12 months of their contracts, meaning they will be available on a free transfer next summer.
The rules state that Premier League players can formally discuss terms with foreign clubs from January, effectively giving Liverpool just a few months to tie their stars down to new deals.
A growing trend in recent years has been for players to let their contracts run out before agreeing a free transfer to a foreign club, with the player himself receiving a significant signing bonus rather than paying a fee to his club.
He has been regularly linked to Salah With a move to Saudi Arabia and no contract with Liverpool agreed, it seems this could be his most likely next destination.
As for Van Dijk, he has admitted that He has not yet been offered a new contract. staying at Anfield, suggesting he could also be a player heading for the exit door.
There is a chance that both players could sign new contracts with Liverpool, but according to club legend Souness, that seems unlikely.
Speaking about White And Jordan, Souness said: “For Van Dijk and Mo Salah, particularly Salah, Saudi Arabia must be attractive.
“Maybe he'll play for another year and Van Dijk, at his age, might be thinking that.
“For Trent, would money be the most important thing? No, given his age and the fact that he's a scouser, if it were up to me he'd stay a little longer.
“But for the other two this could be their last year because their contracts are running out.
“The appeal of playing in Saudi Arabia will be huge when you get to the wrong side of 30.
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“If this is the last year of their contracts, I imagine they are running down their contracts to get the biggest payday possible.
“That would make sense for Salah and for Van Dijk, maybe the same.
“These conversations may have happened because this is not the kind of thing you want to see come to light.”
As well as the challenge of retaining Liverpool's stars, new boss Arne Slot faces the daunting prospect of following in Jurgen Klopp's footsteps at Anfield.
Despite being prepared to implement a bold new possession-based strategy, Slot has yet to make any new signings for the first team, something Simon Jordan believes could backfire.
He said: “I am surprised that Arne Slot has not brought any players because it was to be expected that he would want to do so.
“Regardless of the changing of the guard, he will be judged against Klopp and will hear Klopp’s name chanted with Klopp banners displayed around the stadium until the time comes when he can eclipse him and leave his own mark on the club.
“You'd think he'd want his own players. I think the players proved not to be where we thought they were at the end of last season as I thought they would bring Klopp home to do something significant and they didn't seem capable of doing that.
“I think Salah is going to leave at the end of the season, I'd be surprised if they didn't try to do something with Virgil van Dijk, unless they think his legs are going, although I'm not sure that's the case.
“They will want to make sure of that with Trent Alexander-Arnold. The other players feel differently.”
Liverpool kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to Ipswich, a clash that will be broadcast live on talkSPORT on Saturday lunchtime.
