Graeme Souness expects Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk to leave Liverpool for nothing next summer as they go in search of a big pay day.
Both players – along with Trent Alexander-Arnold – have entered the final 12 months of their contracts which means they will be available on a free transfer next summer.
Rules state that Premier League players can formally discuss terms with overseas clubs from January, effectively giving Liverpool just a few months to tie their stars down to new deals.
A growing trend over recent years has seen players letting their contract runs down before agreeing a free transfer to an overseas club with the player themselves being paid a hefty signing-on bonus in place of a fee paid to their club.
Salah has been regularly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia and with no Liverpool contract agreed, it seems this could be his most likely next destination.
As for Van Dijk, he has admitted that he’s yet to be offered a new contract to stay at Anfield, suggesting that he could also be a player heading for the exit door.
There’s every possibility that both players will sign new deals at Liverpool, but according to club legend Souness, it seems unlikely.
Speaking on White And Jordan, Souness said: “For Van Dijk and Mo Salah – particularly Salah – Saudi Arabia has got to be attractive.
“Maybe he’s going to play another year and Van Dijk, at his age, maybe he’s thinking that.
“For Trent, would money be the biggest thing? No, given his age and the fact that he’s a scouser and if it was up to me he’d stay a bit longer.
“But the other two this might be their last year with their contracts running out.
“The lure of playing in Saudi Arabia will be enormous when you get to the wrong side of 30.
3
3
“If this is the last year of their contracts, I imagine they are running their contracts down to get the biggest payday they can possibly get.
“That would make sense for Salah and for Van Dijk, maybe the same.
“These conversations may have happened because it’s not the sort of thing that you want out.”
In addition to the challenge of keeping hold of Liverpool’s star men, new boss Arne Slot faces the daunting prospects of following in Jurgen Klopp’s footsteps at Anfield.
Despite being set to implement a bold new possession-based strategy, Slot is yet to make any new signings for the first team, something that Simon Jordan says could backfire.
He said: “It surprises me that Arne Slot hasn’t brought any players in because you would anticipate that he’d want to.
“Irrespective of the change of guard, he will be judged against Klopp and he will hear Klopp’s name being sung with banners of Klopp being shown all over the stadium until a time when he can eclipse it and put his own foot print on the club.
“You would think he’d want his own players. I think the players proved to not be where we thought they were at the end of last season as I thought they would carry Klopp home to do something meaningful and they didn’t seem able to.
“I think Salah is going to go 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 they are.
“Trent Alexander-Arnold, they’ll want to secure that. That feels differently to the other players.”
Liverpool kickstart their Premier League season with a trip to face Ipswich – a clash that is live on talkSPORT Saturday lunchtime.