- Three of Liverpool’s best players will be out of contract at the end of the season
- Three pundits gave their two pence on which superstar the Reds should keep
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Are Tottenham managers treated differently to other managers?
Jamie Carragher, Jamie Redknapp and Les Ferdinand have all weighed in on Liverpool‘s contract conundrum, with three star players seeing their deals expiring in the near future.
Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all out contract next summer.
The trio have each remained coy on their futures at Anfield, with none of them yet to publicly pledge their long-term allegiance to Arne Slot‘s project on Merseyside.
When posed with the ultimatum to choose one of the three players to stay at Liverpool, Carragher singled out Van Dijk.
‘I’d probably say Van Dijk, but I’m pretty much certain Van Dijk and Salah will stay,’ the Liverpool legend said.
‘The one worry is Trent because of the situation he finds himself in, but I’m certain the other two will sign.’
Since signing his first professional contract at his boyhood club in October 2015, Alexander-Arnold has put pen to paper on three contract extensions – in 2016, 2019 and 2021.
Recently, he has been earmarked for a blockbuster move to Real Madrid, with contract negotiations at Liverpool stagnating as of late.
When asked about his future at the club, the 26-year-old simply insisted that the details around his contract situation will not be revealed publicly.
Furthermore, Mail Sport previously reported that Liverpool have made initial contact with Salah over a new contract offer, but the Egyptian star is not thought to be close to coming to an agreement with the Reds over extending his time on Merseyside.
Earlier this month, Van Dijk was also offered a new deal, but there was reportedly no breakthrough in negotiations with the 33-year-old.
Redknapp shared Carragher’s sentiments, arguing that the Dutchman is an irreplaceable behemoth in Liverpool’s back line.
‘I would go with Virgil. Yeah, because he’s just imperious, and he’s still playing at such a high level, I wouldn’t want to lose any of them,’ he said.
‘I think Liverpool have always had the ability, even when I was there throughout the years, [to replace superstars].
‘Where Rush goes and then Fowler comes along, and then Owen comes along, and then Torres comes along, and Suarez comes along, and then Salah.
‘They just seem to turn strikers into superstars. So they will find someone. But I just don’t know, in world football, where you could find someone to replace Virgil.’
Ferdinand’s judgement made the decision unanimous – the former Tottenham striker also stressed the importance of the 2019 Ballon d’Or runner-up in Liverpool’s defence.
‘The way [Van Dijk] bosses that Liverpool back line, and the way he’s just so calm, he would be the one that I would be desperate to keep,’ he said.
