One of Liverpool’s greatest ever players has been tipped to leave the club in the summer before his situation turns sour at Anfield.
If the trio of Alisson, Van Dijk and Salah never played another match for Liverpool, they’ve already done more than enough to go down as bona fide legends of the club.
The threesome have been at the heart of Liverpool re-establishing themselves as a true force in the game over the past decade, though all good things must come to an end.
Of the trio, it’s Salah who looks likeliest to leave first. He’s under contract until 2027, though his public outburst late last-year was perhaps a sign of things to come as the Egyptian continues to decline now deep into his thirties.
The ultra-reliable David Ornstein has previously stated Liverpool have no plans to let Salah leave in the summer.
However, if he continues to labour, Arne Slot will find it difficult to justify his undroppable status, and we’ve all seen how Salah reacts to being on the bench.
What’s more, TEAMtalk have also been informed that when Liverpool chiefs held talks with Salah’s camp when smoothing over the tension in December, it was made clear to the Reds that Salah will NOT accept a squad role.
As such, outspoken pundit, Rafael Van der Vaart, believes a parting of the ways would be the “best for both sides” before Salah’s situation at Liverpool turns sour.
“When I look at Mohammed Salah and the position he plays on the pitch, he has lost that extra half yard and the pace is gone with age,” began Van der Vaart when speaking to SkyBet (as cited by Liverpool.com)
“When you look at Virgil van Dijk, age is less important for a defender.
“There were games he performed not at his best and everyone writes him off, but over a full season, even at this age, he shows everyone how good he is.
“Having a big player and a big name (like Salah) is sometimes a problem for both the player and coach.
“When you expect certain things as a coach from him, and he doesn’t do it, then of course you have the right to put him on the bench, but because it’s Mohamed Salah, this can cause a massive issue – in every press conference every question will be on Salah.
“It could be best for both sides if Salah goes somewhere else in the summer.”
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In other news, Liverpool could capitalise on the uncertainty at Tottenham by signing at least one of their players this summer, with sublime talent Luka Vuskovic having become the third star to appear on the Reds’ shortlist.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid chiefs finally appear to have settled on which centre-back to sign in the summer, and while it’s NOT Ibrahima Konate, it’s still not wholly positive news for Liverpool.
Finally, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed a return to European football is ON for Darwin Nunez, and we can reveal which two Premier League sides have held preliminary talks.