Liverpool homeowners FSG despatched Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk ‘darkish cloud’ warning

Losing one superstar is bad enough. Even if that’s to a club most footballers find impossible to turn down.

But seeing three huge names leave Liverpool this summer would be nigh on unthinkable for a club bidding to become the next dominant team of England’s domestic game.

Yet as the clock ticks down on the futures of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk, supporters are no closer to knowing which colour shirt the trio will be pulling on next season.

Where homegrown talent Alexander-Arnold is concerned, fans will be seeing red one way or another. Because it is becoming apparent the England full back is closing in on a move to Real Madrid.

Few can blame him, given Real’s undoubted status as the biggest club on the planet. But if Liverpool supporters do want someone to point the finger at should the worst kept secret in football be confirmed, then start with Jude Bellingham.

Bellingham is close to Alexander-Arnold and has had an influential role in persuading his England colleague to swap Merseyside for Madrid.

But his impending departure has brought the futures of Salah and Van Dijk into sharper focus – and given fans something even more troubling to ponder.

The saga shows no signs of coming to a close. Both are out of contract in June and have been allowed to talk to rival clubs since the start of 2025.

The feeling is that decisions on Salah and Van Dijk have been kept top secret, in order to avoid the risk of Alexander-Arnold being made a scapegoat for wanting out.

But the upshot of this approach is that a dark cloud continues to hang over Anfield. While piling huge pressure on Liverpool’s owners to do whatever is needed to stop Salah and Van Dijk from disappearing into the sunset as well.

Both have rejected initial contract offers. The stumbling block appears to be the length of the respective deals being put on the table.

But Fenway Sports Group bosses John W Henry and Tom Werner do not hold all the aces, and are losing leverage when it comes to seeing who blinks first.

Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Van Dijk have been the foundations of all the success Liverpool have had under Jurgen Klopp, and now Arne Slot, who is closing in on the Premier League title in his first season in charge.

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Seeing all three head elsewhere wouldn’t be akin to Liverpool cutting off their nose to spite their face, it would be the equivalent of amputating both legs and an arm as well.

Slot is attempting to build a side capable of becoming serial winners. A demolition job from within, which would strip him of his crown jewels, would not have entered his head when he took charge last summer.

In recent times Liverpool have boasted an impressive record and approach when it comes to the transfer market. Business gets done in secret with minimum fuss.

But if the futures of Salah and Van Dijk are not sorted as soon as possible, there will be a furore around Anfield that would ruin all the good work Slot has overseen so far.