Liverpool could lose 10 first-team players for nothing as contract clock ticking
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Liverpool potentially forfeited upwards of $134 million across those transactions, and the situation appears to be repeating itself with 10 first-team squad members currently poised to leave without a fee next summer, unless contract renewals are agreed.Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo, Kostas Tsimikas, Stefan Bajčetić, Calvin Ramsay and Harvey Davies may well be experiencing their final campaign at Anfield, reports the Liverpool Echo.The Reds captain Van Dijk will reach 36 years of age a week following his contract's expiry next June, yet he continues to be an enormously influential presence at the club. For a period, it seemed as though Liverpool supporters may have been bracing themselves to bid farewell to Alisson, with the Brazilian shot-stopper attracting attention from Juventus.However, the 33 year old chose to honour the final year of his Liverpool contract, and may look to engineer a return to Serie A next summer, or alternatively see out the latter stages of his career at boyhood club Internacional.Virgil van Dijk is entering into the last year of his Liverpool contract(Image: Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images)The future of Curtis Jones has dominated transfer discussions throughout the summer, with Inter Milan maintaining a persistent pursuit of the 25 year old.
The 23 year old has been handed the chance to win over Andoni Iraola this summer, with Liverpool's limited options in both midfield and attack potentially providing the perfect platform for the youngster to resurrect his place in the side.Approaching his 12th campaign as a Liverpool player, Joe Gomez holds the distinction of being the squad's longest-serving member. The 28-year-old's persistent fitness problems have prevented him from being a dependable option and he's poised to be unavailable for the season's opening fixtures following a muscle problem sustained during the Reds' initial pre-season fixture against Sunderland.The coming summer could mark the moment when Gomez and the club go their separate ways, though a return to Anfield will be arranged for his testimonial match.
Kostas Tsimikas will resume his previous position as deputy left-back this campaign to Milos Kerkez following an unimpressive season-long spell at Roma.The Greek international, 30, acknowledged he's "really happy" to be back on Merseyside and will probably be afforded plenty of chances to prolong his stay at Liverpool, with the club involved in four competitions.Midfield duo Wataru Endo and Stefan Bajcetic are both battling for their Liverpool futures this term. Calvin Ramsay marked his 23rd birthday last week and has made several appearances throughout the tour.Liverpool's mounting crisis at right-back, with Conor Bradley sidelined and Jeremie Frimpong's persistent injury concerns, could finally hand the Scottish defender the opportunity he has long been waiting for to claim the position as his own.