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Virgil van Dijk expects Liverpool to be even stronger next season(Image: The Rest Is Football)

Virgil van Dijk has warned Liverpool must make it a “big summer” to ensure they can defend their title.

Arne Slot has already gone public in saying he expects major signings through the door even after their runaway success as Premier League champions.

And now van Dijk is sounding a warning to their rivals that they are determined to come back even stronger with the right “additions” to the squad.

Mirror Sport understands Liverpool are closing in on Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez as a major signing but they are also in the market for a centre forward, midfielder and potentially another centre half.

Bournemouth are likely to demand upwards of £45m as Liverpool look to renew and refresh their squad after also securing van Dijk and Mo Salah to new contracts.

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Van Dijk has sounded the warning that the hardest thing for any title-winning team is to stay on top and it is clear he believes the club will get it done.

The Liverpool captain said: “I think it has to be a big summer and I trust the club and the people who make the decisions to do the right thing.

“As champions it is a very difficult task to remain champions but I feel with additions we can make that step up.

Let's see what happens but I fully trust the decision-makers to do the right things and let's see what those right things are.”

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The previous time Liverpool won the title in 2020, the following season they slipped down to third, were hit by injuries - including van Dijk’s cruciate knee injury - and could not defend their title.

That is a reminder just how hard it is to win back-to-back titles but Liverpool are determined to stay top of the tree.

The Reds are closing in on a deal for Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez(Image: Getty Images)

This time, Slot will be determined to work even harder on introducing more of his methods into the squad and have time to work with the players in pre-season after last year it was curtailed by players reporting back late from the Euros.

Van Dijk added: “We can have a proper pre-season, we can work on the things the manager wants us to do in ball possession and without ball possession, a lot of hard work will be done.

“It's something to look forward to, it's very exciting and it's an exciting time to be associated with Liverpool.”

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