Liverpool's biggest squad issue is not what has already gone out the door. It is the possibility that 10 first-team players could be in the final year of their deals next summer, leaving Liverpool with a contract list that is too large to ignore. Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah are all part of the picture.
Van Dijk is still the headline case
Van Dijk is the obvious focal point because the timing is awkward even by elite-contract standards. He will turn 36 a week after his contract expires in June, and he clocked up the most minutes in Europe last season. He is also on £350,000-a-week terms, which makes any extension decision about football and finances at the same time.
That does not mean he is the only problem. The scale is what makes this different. Ten first-team players in the final year of their deals is a serious planning burden, and Liverpool cannot treat it like a routine renewal cycle.
Liverpool's wider contract list
The broader issue is that this is not a one-player conversation. The club has already seen summer exits, but the bigger danger is another wave of free departures if the situation is not handled early. Joe Gomez is poised to begin his 12th campaign as a Liverpool player at age 28, while Wataru Endo featured in only eight league matches in the 25/26 campaign. Stefan Bajcetic has not featured since May 2024, after loan stints at Red Bull Salzburg and Las Palmas.
Liverpool finished fifth in the 2025 Premier League season, which only sharpens the question around how quickly the squad can be refreshed without losing value on experienced players. For Arne Slot, the next round of contract work looks like one of the defining jobs at Anfield, and Van Dijk sits right at the centre of it.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
