Paul Merson slams treatment of out-of-contract Liverpool trio - 'It's criminal'

Liverpool have seen Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk all run down their contracts and Paul Merson has hammered the Reds for allowing the situation to arise

Paul Merson admits it is "criminal" that Liverpool have allowed themselves to get in a position where three of their major names could leave when their contracts expire. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk all stand to depart Anfield on frees in a matter of months.

The Reds have been unable to agree new deals with any of the trio and, as the season has gone on, it has looked increasingly as if all three will move on. The age profiles of both Van Dijk and Salah, who are into their 30s, may have been concerns but both men have remained stellar performers.

If all three do depart it would leave huge voids in the starting XI - and come at a time where Liverpool will want to build on, what is likely to be, a second Premier League triumph.

Instead Arne Slot will have to scour the market for new recruits with a new commanding centre-half and a prolific forward both on his shopping list. Salah has claimed for months that this is likely to be his final year and a switch to Saudi Arabia has been talked up.

Alexander-Arnold is in discussions with Real Madrid, who saw a January offer for him rejected, but Merson insists the blame for the contract sagas rests firmly with the Merseyside outfit.

He told Sky Sports: "I've been saying it for the last eight or nine months - I don't see any of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk signing at Liverpool. Because I just don't know why you wouldn't have signed already. Why would you keep on losing £80,000 a week, every week for the last 18 months?

"I'd be quite shocked if all three stayed from here. Unless Liverpool are prepared to give them £30m, £40m in their bank account. If Liverpool want to keep on being successful and go again next year, they've got to keep Van Dijk and Salah, assuming Alexander-Arnold has already gone.

"I think Van Dijk and Salah are the best in the business in their positions. If I could buy anybody, I'd buy them two. If you lose Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, you've lost half of the back four. And if you lose Salah, you're losing 30 to 40 goals a season. Good luck finding them anywhere else."

He added: "In football terms, it's criminal. It's criminal that you can let three of the top players in the world of football have their contracts run down, and they could leave for absolutely nothing, go anywhere they want."

Liverpool had been on course for a treble a month ago but defeats in the Champions League and the Carabao Cup have shone a light on their issues. It has also meant talk of their contract rebels has ramped up with the club needing to find huge sums if they are to replace them.

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