Troy Deeney reveals which Liverpool expiring contract star he would DITCH

A former top-flight striker has offered his verdict on which players Liverpool should prioritise when it comes to offering new deals, with three stars in the final year of their current contracts.

Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all in the same situation, as fears continue to mount amongst the Liverpool faithful over their potential departures.

The trio can begin negotiations with overseas clubs in January over free transfers, as pressure grows on FSG's football chief executive Michael Edwards and Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes to decide what they want to do with their star men.

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An ex-Premier League forward Troy Deeney believes new manager Arne Slot already has Alexander-Arnold's replacement in Conor Bradley.

Despite Alexander-Arnold being just 25 and touted to be the future Liverpool captain, Deeney told talkSPORT that Bradley's presence means Liverpool should prioritise tying down Salah and Van Dijk to new deals first.

"It’s going to sound really harsh, but in order of priority, I would’ve gone Salah first, Van Dijk second, then Trent," said Deeney.

"What I mean by that is, with Salah, you're going to need at least two players to recreate what he gives you goals and assists-wise.

"He’s not getting any younger, but at centre-back, every centre-back they have got - apart from Van Dijk - is a number two. It’s very difficult to go out and buy a number one. It's very difficult, as Man United are finding, to find that number one centre-back."

The former Watford captain added: "I think of the three, he’s [Alexander-Arnold] the easier one to replace [because of Bradley]. You’ve not seen any centre-back that they’ve got at the minute that can do what Van Dijk can, and you see no winger that does what Salah can do."

Is Trent already being phased out?

Deeney thinks the decisions to substitute Alexander-Arnold in each game so far this season could potentially be a sign of phasing the full-back out and getting themselves and Bradley ready for the future.

"The player will try to always look out for themselves, and the club will look out for themselves. It’s just the nature of the beast," the pundit continued.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Liverpool said, ‘here’s [a contract worth] x,’ or Trent said: ‘I think I'm going to go to Real Madrid and let them know.’

"So, the club goes: ‘Okay, no problem, but you think you’re going to play the whole season, and we’re going to make you look good? No, no, no. We’re winning, come off. Here’s Bradley, and we’ll see if he’s ready,'" Deeney said.