"In terms of importance, he is most important" - John Barnes believes Liverpool will not be able to 'cope with losing' superstar in summer
Liverpool icon John Barnes has claimed that the Reds will not be able to cope with the loss of Virgil van Dijk in the summer. The Merseyside giants face the daunting prospect of losing three of their key players Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and Trent Alexander-Arnold in less than six months.
All three aforementioned superstars have entered the final six months of the deals at Anfield. It is unclear whether they will stay at the club beyond this summer and it will be a tall order for the Reds to replace the trio.
John Barnes, who spent 10 seasons on the books of the Merseyside club winning eight trophies, has claimed that Van Dijk is the most irreplaceable among the three. He insisted that while he wants all three to stay, but losing their skipper would be the biggest blow to Arne Slot's side.
Barnes insisted that regardless of how solid Mohamed Salah has been this season, he is going to slow down soon. Given the Reds' strength in depth up front, he has insisted that losing the defensive cornerstone in van Dijk would be a bigger setback.
He told PA news agency, as quoted by The Independent:
“We want them all to stay, but if you were to put them in order, I would say Virgil is the most important. I don’t think we could cope with losing him. In terms of importance, Virgil is most important. It would be great to have all three of them and the club have no control of that.”
Barnes added:
“If you look from an attacking perspective, we have (Luis) Diaz, (Cody) Gakpo, (Curtis) Jones and Mo is up there with the best of them at this moment in time. He is going to slow down maybe next year or the year after. If you look at what he’s doing now and give him a four-year contract and think he’s going to be the same in three years, he won’t. The club has to make the right decision."
The former Liverpool winger concluded:
“The club need to look at the end of that contract and think will he have the same impact as he has now. It happens to everyone – (Ian) Rush, (Kenny) Dalglish, Billy Liddell, happens to us all.”
Virgil van Dijk is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of the modern era and has been integral behind Liverpool's success. He joined the Reds in a reported £75 million deal in January 2018 and has made 301 appearances winning eight trophies.
James Pearce claims Liverpool star could leave this summer: Reports
Journalist James Pearce has hinted that Alisson Becker could leave Liverpool in the upcoming summer transfer window. The reputed reporter has claimed that the Brazil international has been the subject of interest from Saudi Arabia in the last two years.
With Giorgi Mamardashvili as the Brazilian's long-term successor, Pearce reckons that the Reds could be open to letting Alisson depart this summer. Speaking on the Walk On podcast, Pearce stated, as quoted by Rousing the Kop:
“Alisson came out and said that it wasn’t his plan [to leave] and he still intended to see out the contract that he’s got, which is effectively two years this summer. I think one of the years is an option but effectively two years.”
Pearce added:
“Liverpool’s stance is that signing Giorgi Mamardashvili was about succession planning. I’ve also been told that they know Alisson has had a lot of interest from the Saudi Pro League in the past couple of years.”
He concluded:
“Each time he’s said no. But of course, you don’t know whether there will be an offer that comes further down the line which is just too good to say no to, especially for someone who will be 33 later on this year. I’ve certainly got no reason to believe that Alisson is preparing to say goodbye.”
Alisson is widely regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in recent years and has been hailed for his well-rounded abilities. Since his reported £66.8 million move from AS Roma in 2018, he has been exceptional for Liverpool helping them secure eight trophies.