Virgil van Dijk is 'too old and too slow' as top journalist claims DOOR IS CLOSED for Liverpool star

Liverpool are facing a contract crisis on three fronts next summer with Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk all seeing their terms expire in 2025.

The trio are free to discuss terms with overseas teams in January, less than two months away.

Salah, 32, posted a message over the weekend which has been interpreted by fans as a farewell to Anfield and recent reports in Egypt suggest he has not been approached in any official capacity by the club over a new deal.

As Liverpool’s top earner, on around £350,000 per week, a renewal for Salah won’t come easily for Richard Hughes, the Reds’ sporting director and FSG’s CEO of Football Michael Edwards.

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Reds trio linked with moves

Alexander-Arnold has been described as Hughes’ priority but continues to attract attention from Real Madrid, who could opt to make him the newest Galactico signing at the Bernabeu.

Van Dijk, meanwhile, will be 34 by the time his current deal expires and there have been mixed messages given to the media recently regarding his chances of a new contract.

Salah has been linked with top teams in Saudi Arabia while Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have also been mentioned in relation to Alexander-Arnold.

Bayern and Borussia Dortmund were also previously linked with Van Dijk but the latest news out of Germany appears to confirm that the Dutch captain will not be making a move to the Bundesliga.

Falk closes door on Van Dijk

Christian Falk, a highly respected voice on German football for Bild, was giving his comments about the links between Van Dijk and Bayern for CaughtOffside, emphasising that the Liverpool skipper is not what the German record champions are looking for.

Taking an incredibly harsh tone towards one of the Premier League’s finest-ever defenders and one who remains at the very highest level, Falk declared that Van Dijk was ‘too old’ for FC Hollywood and had ‘no future’ in the Bundesliga.

Van Dijk 'too old' for Bayern

“Sorry about Virgil van Dijk,” Falk said. “I’m a big fan of him but he’s too old for Bayern Munich at the moment, as they’re trying to construct a very complex defence with Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae.

“They need fast players, which is why they sold Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United.

“I think Virgil van Dijk doesn’t have this speed and kind of defending for this really high back four. I’m really sorry about this, as I’d love to see him in the Bundesliga, but at this point, I think Bayern Munich would be the only club in the Bundesliga that could afford his wages (and where he’d like to go), so I see no future for him in the German top-flight.

“He’s a player who could fit perfectly for many clubs in Italy’s Serie A, but the door is closed for him in Germany.”

That appears to be done exit door closed off for Van Dijk should talks fail to progress with Liverpool but fans will be hoping to see the captain lining up for another season at least.

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