Liverpool believe star is now STAYING at Anfield

Liverpool believe one of their three major contract stories will ultimately end with the star signing a new contract at Anfield. This one could move quickly.

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Liverpool have a lot to worry about right now. The Reds' three star players are all out of contract in the summer, with none of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk or Trent Alexander-Arnold agreeing new deals.

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The trio can all negotiate quite freely with non-English clubs right now, in fact. That came into effect back on January 1st and while no one has agreed anything with anyone just yet, you can bet there are talks.

Liverpool have been dealing with this in the background all season, of course. It makes the debut campaign under Arne Slot all the more remarkable but you do wonder if the stress of it all will make itself felt eventually.

A run of poor form - especially if Liverpool drop from 1st in the Premier League - could turn things quite toxic very quickly. That golden form is essentially the only thing keeping Anfield calm.

There's another way to fix that, though - agree new contracts. And it appears that at least one of the three massive problems might sort itself soon.

Virgil van Dijk to stay

The Times reports that Liverpool do expect Virgil van Dijk to remain at Liverpool. There is an 'expectation' around the club that a new contract will eventually be signed and that the Dutchman can compete at the top level for another couple of years.

And there are a few things to dissect from that.

Firstly, this is what we've been hearing, too. Anfield Watch exclusively reported back in December that Van Dijk was expected to stay. That was based on his agent essentially cutting off talks with other parties.

It's something that feels true, too. If only because there are essentially zero reports linking Van Dijk with a move elsewhere. The same cannot be said about Salah - and certainly not Alexander-Arnold.

As a result, there's genuine calm around the Van Dijk situation. No one would be surprised to see that deal tied up. We certainly expect it to be.

But it also shines a little light on Salah's situation. There is a worry that Salah could decline as forwards typically lose their peak powers before defenders do.

It's the main sticking point for Liverpool over Salah. They don't want to pay him £300k each week only for his decline to kick in at a rapid pace.

There are no such worries with Van Dijk - and it appears that is what will get this one over the line. Fingers crossed.

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