Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy insists the Reds will need to buy two players to replace captain Virgil van Dijk.
The Reds are having a brilliant season in the Premier League with Arne Slot’s side currently 12 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal at the top of the table.
It would take a collapse of epic proportions for Liverpool to allow Arsenal back into the title race now with the Reds losing just one match all season.
Van Dijk is one of three key Liverpool stars out of contract in the summer with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold also set to leave the club on free transfers unless something drastically changes.
Alexander-Arnold has reportedly reached an agreement to sign for Real Madrid, although there has been no official confirmation, while there is little sign that Salah is close to agreeing a new deal.
Reports last week claimed that Liverpool captain Van Dijk will ‘say goodbye’ to the Reds at the end of the season with French giants Paris Saint-Germain his ‘new destination’.
However, Murphy’s “gut feeling” is that Van Dijk will stay at Liverpool and sign a new deal as he can’t see all three of the contract rebels leaving.
Murphy told Poker Firma: “I’d be amazed if all three of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold left. My gut feeling is that Van Dijk will renew his contract and stay at the club. I know there’s been interest from PSG, but I think he’ll end up staying at Anfield.
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“With the situation of Trent moving on, I don’t believe that this will have any bearing on the decision making of Virgil or Mo when it comes to their own situations. They’re senior players who have their own desires and ideas, I can’t see any of the players being influenced by the decisions of the other players who are out of contract.
“That said, the pair of them are more irreplaceable than Trent in what they provide for the team. In Salah’s case, there’s no one with his output in world football. You’d have to fill that void with two players unless a proper world-beater became available on the market – I’m a big fan of Rodrygo from Real Madrid but that looks unlikely to me.
“I also like Jarrod Bowen; he’s someone who could score lots of goals for Liverpool as he does for West Ham. He’s underrated in my eyes, and he knows the Premier League. I’m not sure what the price tag would be there, but he can’t replace Salah alone. You’d need younger talent alongside that, I like Tyler Dibling from Southampton. He looks like he could be a superstar in the future, he’s great with the ball, strong physically and has an eye for a goal.”
If Van Dijk does leave then Murphy has suggested that Liverpool will need to buy two players to fill the void, while he has suggested a three-man shortlist they should pursue.
Murphy added: “The centre back position would be a very difficult situation to resolve, Van Dijk’s stature is like no other player in the world.
“I like Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth who looks a real talent, but they may need to replace that stature and it’s such a hard thing to do. Jarrad Branthwaite from the neighbours Everton would be a brilliant signing, he’s a real presence, good on the ball and he has an abundance of character and leadership. I think they could look at Marc Guehi also, he’s fantastic.
“My gut feeling is the length and breadth of Liverpool’s recruitment team goes far and wide and will likely look to bring someone in who’s less well known and fashionable, where the club feel they can mould them into a better player. Again, if Virgil goes, you have to bring two in, as my feelings are that even if he stayed this summer, they should be looking to sign another central defender.”