Liverpool must make decisions over the futures of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold. The pair are both out of contract at the end of next season......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
Incoming Liverpool boss Arne Slot will face some big decisions this summer when he takes over from Jürgen Klopp.
Slot will assume the title of head coach, rather than manager, so will not have complete control over Liverpool’s transfer dealings.
Instead, he will work with new sporting director Richard Hughes on potential incomings, with calls needed to be made over the futures of current players. Joël Matip and Thiago Alcântara are set to depart on free transfers this summer but there are three more contract situations to be sorted.
Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold will all see their current deals expire in 2025, meaning they are free to talk to foreign clubs as early as January, as things stand.
Slot is unlikely to have any plans to let skipper and countryman Van Dijk depart. The Dutch defender will be 33 when his contract runs out and The Mirror reported last week that he is at a crossroads over his next move.
A new deal for Alexander-Arnold appears a certainty but Salah’s future remains the source of more speculation, particularly after his touchline spat with Klopp at West Ham on Saturday.
He was targeted by Saudi Pro League clubs last summer and that interest is expected to be reignited when the transfer window opens. Yet it is reported by The Athletic that Liverpool expects Salah to remain at Anfield next season.
Should either player depart though, it appears there is one club they would both be keen on joining. Alexander-Arnold has been tentatively linked with Real Madrid in recent times but he has a soft spot for its fierce rivals Barcelona.
Speaking to GQ magazine in 2020, he said: “I’d say my favorite other team would be Barça. I feel as though it has got kind of the same values and beliefs as Liverpool. Everyone’s got the same beliefs, the same drive to succeed, the same hard-work ethic, the tenacity.”
Later that year, Salah also refused to rule out a move to La Liga later in his career. He told AS: “I think Madrid and Barcelona are two top clubs. Who knows what will happen in the future.”
Given Barca’s well-documented financial issues, a move for either Alexander-Arnold or Salah does appear unlikely. Liverpool will also be reluctant to let either player enter the final years of their contracts, and avoid the risk of losing them for nothing.
Liverpool.com says:
Salah and Alexander-Arnold have been incredible servants to Liverpool and still have plenty to offer. Alexander-Arnold will be the next captain when Van Dijk departs and is expected to put pen-to-paper on a new deal. Salah’s situation is slightly different given the stage of his career he is at but Slot will hope to have him in his squad next season.