Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk peeled away after scoring the late winner against West Ham United at the weekend and kissed the badge, effectively confirming that his story on Merseyside will continue beyond the current campaign.
The captain’s contribution put the Reds within touching distance of lifting the Premier League title: should Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur be turned over in the fixtures to come, gold will be secured.
Van Dijk, 33, has been engaged in protracted contract discussions with FSG over the past several months, with a breakthrough seemingly found in the past week.
An announcement has yet to be confirmed, but a two-year extension for the awe-inspiring centre-back is, by all accounts, sealed.
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Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah’s new deal has already been confirmed. The 32-year-old forward has been Liverpool’s driving force this season, surely a shoo-in for the division’s Player of the Year award.
Sadly, Liverpool have been luckless in trying to tie Trent Alexander-Arnold down to his boyhood club for the prime years of his career. The right-back has been sold on the dream of plying his trade for Real Madrid.
This is a terrible shame, one which will sit sour with the fanbase for a long time. However, Liverpool are already proving that they can overcome the painful setback.
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Liverpool are planning to defend their incoming Premier League title by means of attack, attack, attack. This summer, the Reds are planning to throw down with the best of them and strengthen across a range of positions.
Getting Van Dijk and Salah’s deals done means such things can be prioritised, with several exciting signings – alongside the title – sure to ease the anguish over Alexander-Arnold’s departure.
Of course, Liverpool will need to sign a new right-back, but Conor Bradley has proved that he has what it takes to star as Liverpool’s first-choice.
Talented, athletic and more conventionally tailored to the positional berth than his English counterpart, Bradley, 21, is making headway, with The Liverpool Echo awarding him an 8/10 match rating for his performance against West Ham, completing 91% of his passes and winning six of eight contested duels, as per Sofascore.
Liverpool can cope with Alexander-Arnold’s exit; indeed, those in the Anfield offices may have been tacitly resigned to the outcome for many months at this stage.
Real Madrid are a greedy lot, though, and might not be content with just Liverpool’s Scouse-born sensation. Florentino Perez might actually have his sights set on another of Arne Slot’s prized members.
Transfer Focus
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Liverpool facing another Trent disaster
According to reports over in Spain, Real Madrid have their eye on Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, billing him as an option ahead of the summer transfer window.
The report notes that he is ‘considered attractive to Real Madrid due to his quality’ and few would suggest he isn’t worthy of playing in the finest midfields around.
The shops might be shuttered right now, but Los Blancos are doing groundwork and might be buoyed in their intrigue after the player’s father publicly discussed the La Liga giants’ interest.
Given the magnitude of Liverpool’s transfer task this summer, it would be a detrimental blow to lose their midfield linchpin when some more punch needs to be added to the engine room anyway.
Why Liverpool can't lose Alexis Mac Allister
When Liverpool signed Brighton’s Mac Allister, they signed him for £35m. A recently-crowned World Cup winner and the midfield fulcrum behind the Seagulls’ fast rise to prominence, this was considered a bargain from those in the know.
An all-action, intelligent and technically gifted player, the 26-year-old was instrumental in steadying Jurgen Klopp’s ship last season, in returning to the Champions League, in lifting the Carabao Cup.
Now, in Slot’s system, he’s been the centrepiece of a looming Premier League triumph.
The Argentine has kept his level just so across his two campaigns in Liverpool colours, adapting to a different role under Slot’s wing while maintaining his quality.
Matches (starts)
33 (31)
31 (28)
Goals
5
4
Assists
5
4
Touches*
74.2
57.6
Pass completion
88%
87%
Key passes*
1.4
1.2
Dribbles*
0.5
0.5
Ball recoveries*
5.9
4.3
Tackles + interceptions*
4.1
3.3
Duels won*
5.9
5.0
Hailed as a “superstar” who “can play anywhere” by pundit Joe Cole, losing Mac Allister this summer would be tantamount to losing the glue that keeps Slot’s system ticking over.
Reporter Bence Bocsak has very neatly drawn attention to his far-reaching influence, having won the most tackles for the Merseysiders this term while also sparking more shot-creating actions than all but, you guessed it, Salah.
Liverpool have had ample time to prepare for Alexander-Arnold’s departure and indeed have a factory-built replacement waiting in the wings. However, no one plays the £150k-per-week Mac Allister’s role to the same degree.
He plays his football with an almighty fusion of combativeness and creativity, further evidenced through FBref’s data: Mac Allister ranks among the top 15% of Premier League midfielders for shot-creating actions, the top 14% for tackles and the top 4% for interceptions per 90.
Liverpool have much to get on with this summer, and though Mac Allister is highly valued – Transfermarkt record the player’s market price at about £78m right now – Slot and co will surely consider the drawbacks to cashing in on the central linchpin.
Make no mistake, losing Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid is going to be a bitter blow that will sting for a long time, but if the Spaniards swoop in for Mac Allister, it could unravel all the good work being put in at Anfield.
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