Liverpool need to learn from Chelsea's mistake as Saudi clubs eye Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool may have some very difficult decisions to make this summer. Three of its most important players are entering the final year of their contracts. If a big money offer were to be received for any of them, it would behove the club to at least consider cutting a deal.

The trio in question are Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. Reds fans will not want to countenance the thought of any of them walking away from the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2025.

Of the three, that would hurt most with Alexander-Arnold, both as he is the youngest and also a homegrown hero to millions. In terms of potential transfers this summer, there has been the most noise in relation to van Dijk.

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The central defender is a subject of transfer interest from Saudi Arabia, with Al-Nassr officials having reportedly held talks with his agency over a potential move this summer. Any move this year would likely lead to Liverpool cashing in and getting big money for a player they could lose for nothing in 12 months, but Michael Edwards cannot afford to do that.

How much they would be willing to pay Liverpool to sign van Dijk is another matter. Per Transfermarkt, Al-Nassr’s record signing is Otávio, who cost it $64.1m (£50.6m/€60m) when he joined from Porto last summer. The same site rates van Dijk’s market value at $32m (£25.3m/€30m), though that’s not to say the Reds would shake hands on a deal at that level, of course.

And even if Al-Nassr offered a fee which reached the satisfaction of sporting director Richard Hughes, would Liverpool be wise to accept it? Van Dijk is still one of the best center-backs in the Premier League and would not be easy to replace.

The Reds could also heed a lesson which has been learned by the Blues of west London. Last summer, Chelsea sold Kalidou Koulibaly to Al-Hilal and Édouard Mendy to Al-Ahli, while N’Golo Kanté joined Al-Ittihad on a free transfer. It’s hard to make the case that any of them was suitably replaced and it left Mauricio Pochettino to battle through a difficult campaign before leaving the club.

The Blues were somewhat destabilized by the money on offer from the Saudi Pro League. Liverpool cannot afford for the same to happen, especially when it comes to the lynchpin of its defense. Arne Slot already faces a huge challenge without adding unnecessary difficulties to his task in replacing Klopp.

Stripping away one of the best defenders of the last decade would be detrimental to Slot's chances of succeeding in his first year at Anfield, and Edwards owes it to the incoming head coach to give him the best environment possible.