•Mohamed Salah
Liverpool will already be plotting for next season as the summer transfer window draws near.
The Reds are targeting a Champions League spot this term as the club approaches the final stages of the campaign.
Whilst it has been an inconsistent season for the defending Premier League champions following their striking transfer business last year, it could prove advantageous for the team moving forward.
Several of Liverpool’s key signings will be looking to progress in their second campaign at Anfield, but there remains work to be completed with the squad.
Mohamed Salah is expected to become the focus of rumours regarding his future as he enters the final year of his Liverpool deal.
The seasoned striker criticised boss Arne Slot after being relegated to the substitutes’ bench earlier this season, and has subsequently been persistently linked with a lucrative switch to the Saudi Pro League. Here, the Daily Star Sport examines some of the major stories surrounding the Reds.
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has offered his thoughts on Mohamed Salah’s future and suggested Liverpool’s talisman should depart the club.
The 33-year-old continues to make an impact for Slot’s side, despite failing to match his scoring exploits from the previous campaign, but Van der Vaart reckons the moment has arrived for Salah to say goodbye to Liverpool.
Van der Vaart told Sky Bet: “When I look at Mohammed Salah and the position he plays on the pitch, he has lost that extra half yard and the pace is gone with age. When you look at Virgil van Dijk, age is less important for a defender.
“Having a big player and a big name (like Salah) is sometimes a problem for both the player and coach. When you expect certain things as a coach from him and he doesn’t do it, then of course you have the right to put him on the bench, but because it’s Mohamed Salah, this can cause a massive issue – in every press conference, every question will be on Salah. It could be best for both sides if Salah goes somewhere else in the summer.”
Alexander-Arnold chose to quit Liverpool for Real Madrid last summer, but the defender has encountered numerous problems during his first campaign, with fitness concerns and squad competition restricting his playing opportunities. His remarks upon departing the Reds suggested regret about how Liverpool fans viewed the transfer.
“I completely understand the feelings that go with that [leaving Liverpool], and I’ve felt it myself, so I completely understand that the news will disappoint a lot of people, will anger people, it will make them upset,” Alexander-Arnold admitted.
“Obviously, that went into the decision as well – it’s something you don’t want to do, you don’t want to ever have these moments where you feel like you’re letting a lot of people down, you’re disappointing a lot of people. But I’ve had to make a decision for me, it’s as simple as that.”
There were earlier suggestions that the England international could be offloaded in the summer, but these have since been refuted. New Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has spoken favourably about the former Liverpool star during the initial weeks of his tenure.
