Why Liverpool Are at Risk of Losing Three Superstars for Nothing in Return | OneFootball

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk could be saying their goodbyes to Anfield sooner than anyone expected.

Just by looking at the Premier League and Champions League standings, Liverpool look on top of the world. The Reds did not miss a step transitioning from Jürgen Klopp to Arne Slot, dropping points in only four matches across all competitions since the Dutchman took over. Despite Liverpool's success, though, an air of uncertainly looms over the club now that the January transfer window is open.

Three of Arne Slot's best and most decorated players, Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk, are out of contract come the end of the 2024–25 season. The three superstars have yet to reach and ink new agreements with Liverpool, leaving their places at the club in jeopardy.

Without new contracts, the cornerstones are free to enter negotiations with non-English clubs in the winter transfer window and potentially solidify a move this summer. Not only could Liverpool lose Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk, but they could lose the players for nothing in return.

If the players simply allow their current contracts to expire, they will become free agents at the end of the season. Therefore, if one or all decide to depart from the club, they will do so for free, leaving Liverpool with a gaping hole in their XI and their pockets.

Much has been made about Liverpool's hesitancy to lock down Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk ahead of the January transfer window. The club reportedly offered a new contract to the center back in early December, but nothing has come out of that quite yet. Salah, meanwhile, has been particularly outspoken about his frustration on the lack of progress regarding his own deal.

All three players are undoubtedly some of the top targets for clubs across Europe. The prospect of getting Salah, Alexander-Arnold or Van Dijk for free is an opportunity that does not and will not come around often. In fact, multiple clubs have already showed their interest, including Real Madrid.

The Spanish giants are eyeing Alexander-Arnold for the 2025–26 season. It is no secret Los Blancos are in desperate need of defenders and with Dani Carvajal coming off a devastating ACL injury at age 32, there is a glaring need for his successor on the right flank.

Salah was briefly linked with Paris Saint-Germain, but PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi denied the rumors. Any side would be lucky to have the Egyptian, though, even at age 32. The winger ended the year with the most goal contributions (52) of any player across Europe's top five leagues and is now the fourth all-time leading goalscorer for Liverpool.

Even Van Dijk, who is 33 years old, is still at the top of his game. The Dutchman leads Liverpool's backline and helped the Reds end the first half of the season with a league-high eight clean sheets in the English top-flight.

Rumors and transfer speculation will only increase the longer all three players remain unsigned. Until then, the question marks surrounding Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk's futures will hang over the club every step of the way in the second half of the season.