Liverpool could lose second star to Real Madrid along with Alexander-Arnold after warning

Liverpool have been warned that they could lose Virgil van Dijk to Real Madrid as well as Trent Alexander-Arnold next summer, Graeme Souness admitted his concern at the prospect of losing the pair.

Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold are seen as indispensable parts of the Reds squad, with Van Dijk captain under Arne Slot and Alexander-Arnold still maintaining his creative influence from full-back.

But the defensive pair are out of contract in June 2025 and could depart for nothing in nine months’ time if they do not sign a new deal at Anfield.

Souness, 71, has insisted Liverpool can’t let three of their stars – Van Dijk, Alexander Arnold and Mohamed Salah – leave this summer, but admitted he could envision Van Dijk ending up at the Santiago Bernabeu alongside Alexander-Arnold.

“Liverpool can’t let all three of Trent, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk leave,” Souness said on the Three Up Front podcast. “I could see Trent at Real Madrid, I could see Van Dijk there as well.

“The point being that if you’re leaving Liverpool then the only place you’d really want to go is Madrid. Van Dijk might be getting older but he’s an athlete. You can still get a couple more good years out of him.

“He’s a better player than what Real already have in the likes of Antonio Rudiger. He’s more of a footballer, he’s a better athlete, better in the air and better on the ball. I wouldn’t even compare the two.”

Liverpool have somewhat sleepwalked into a crisis involving their top three players, with Salah and Van Dijk publicly addressing their future and conceding they could leave.

When asked about the topic in a post-match discussion following their 2-0 success over Brentford, Van Dijk, 32, stayed tight-lipped on his contract talks with the club but insisted he is “very calm” about the matter.

“I am very calm. I want to play the best season I can,” Van Dijk said. “I want to stay important this year. Whatever happens next year, we will see.”

Salah, who has attracted interest from Saudi Arabia and saw a £150m bid from Al-Ittihad rejected last summer, claimed he is yet to be offered fresh terms by the club where he has scored 214 goals in seven years.

“I had a good summer, I had a long time to stay with myself and to think positive because as you know it’s my last year in the club,” Salah told Sky Sports after the 3-0 win over Manchester United.

“I just want to enjoy it and I don’t want to think about it. But I feel I’m free to play football and we’ll see what can happen next year.”

Alexander-Arnold is yet to speak about the subject, although it is reported the 25-year-old could be swayed by interest from the Champions League holders.