Liverpool are currently flying at the top of the Premier League, but their contract rebels are still yet to pen new deals with the Reds
Paul Merson has suggested that Liverpool might see their trio of stars with expiring contracts depart come summer, especially if the Reds clinch the Premier League title.
Under the guidance of Arne Slot, Liverpool are in fine form: they’ve led the group stages in the Champions League, are set to compete in the Carabao Cup final, and currently hold a six-point lead atop the Premier League standings.
However, the impressive season has been marred by uncertainty about the futures of key players Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, all of whom have contracts that will expire at the conclusion of the season.
There have been no public developments regarding a renewal for any of these veterans, and Merson believes that if Liverpool wins the coveted second Premier League title, all three may depart in the summer.
“Call me a cynic, but I don’t think any of them sign,” Merson said during his appearance on Sky Sports. “I think they wait and see, if they win the league, I don’t know where you go if you’re Liverpool.” , according to the Mirror.
He continued, “When Liverpool won the league in Covid, it wasn’t the same. The Kop, the fans, were not present as you watched them lift the trophy. They had not won it in a long time. If they win again in front of their followers…
“I just think Salah, Van Dijk, Trent, they’ve won the Champions League and the Premier League in front of the fans, which will be very different, believe me, so I don’t see them signing.
“Call me a cynic, but we’ve been talking about 18 months, and they get a wage increase when they sign, but they don’t sign for the same. That might be $50,000 a week for 18 months, which is a lot of money. “I’m not sure they’ll sign if they win the Premier League.”
Liverpool manager Slot has been constantly asked about the futures of these three players, but he has mostly avoided making decisive answers. Prior to Liverpool’s spectacular victory against Tottenham on Thursday, he acknowledged that Salah, Alexander-Arnold, and Van Dijk have yet to sign new contracts.
“We have some contractual situations that you probably don’t know about,” Slot said “But Trent, Mo and Virgil haven’t extended yet. So we are cognizant of the fact that we have to be sharp and ready for anything that can happen.
“My life is mainly short term but we have so many quality people at this club that look at the longer term as well. You always have to be prepared for all the new things coming up.
“Will the players who aren’t playing much this year be able to do so next year? Will they fight for their position, or will they [wish to] move elsewhere? So we need to be ready for the next window and what we can do.”
