Virgil van Dijk exit dismissed but skipper among 11 Liverpool stars with expiring contracts
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A look at who are inside the final 12 months of their Liverpool contracts and what might happen next at AnfieldAt the beginning of July, as many as 11 Liverpool players entered the final 12 months of their respective contracts.Over most of the last decade, club owners Fenway Sports Group have been content to see players in their 30s leave for nothing at the end of their deals. .The conventional wisdom behind the scenes has been that specific members of the squad have been more valuable for the final 12 months rather being sold at a reduced fee to leave a hole in the squad that would need filling at significant cost.That has certainly applied to the likes of James Milner, Roberto Firmino and Gini Wijnaldum, while Andy Robertson has become the latest in that trend by leaving at the end of last season alongside Mohamed Salah, whose contract was effectively terminated by mutual agreement with a year to spare.But losing Ibrahima Konate as a free agent at the age of 27 is not part of the model and there was huge disappointment behind the scenes that the new Real Madrid man was not able to agree a new deal after close to two years worth of negotiations behind the scenes.Trent Alexander-Arnold technically left for a fee of around £10m in June 2025 but the Real Madrid right-back would also have walked away for nothing had a deal not been agreed to expedite his move to Madrid so he could feature in the Club World Cup that month.Losing players in their 20s for nothing is not viewed as best practice at Anfield, even if the club are more relaxed about players who are over 30.But with close to a dozen now in their final years, what might await for the 12 months ahead?Curtis Jones faces an uncertain future as he continues into the final year of his deal. The midfielder had been wanted by Italian giants Inter but their offer fell shy of £22m last month when the Reds had been looking for closer to £35m.Liverpool would prefer to keep Jones and re-open talks with his representatives but no discussions are currently lined up and it remains to be seen if new coach Andoni Iraola can offer the sort of game-time that might force a rethink inside the player's camp.Nottingham Forest have been linked with Jones after their £116m windfall for selling Elliot Anderson to Manchester City.
The vaunted goalkeeper had the year extension on his terms triggered in March, giving Liverpool more time and space to decide on their next move regarding their No.1 position.Speaking in May after the 1-1 draw with Chelsea, Joe Gomez, the longest-serving Reds player having joined the club in 2015, conceded he was unsure of his own future."I don’t know [what is next] is the honest answer," Gomez said. All I can do is be thankful and we’ll see."Gomez could be subject of interest from other clubs having been the topic of conversation between Liverpool and AC Milan last summer and Newcastle United in 2024.The Londoner was close to leaving the Reds on transfer deadline day last year but stayed at the club after a deal for Marc Guehi, then of Crystal Palace, broke down at the 11th hour after the Eagles were unable to source a replacement for the England centre-back.At present, however, he is the only experienced alternative at centre-back given the Konate departure.
Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni will provide competition this season but at 20 and 19, respectively at the time of writing, Gomez may be needed to stick around as things stand.Wataru Endo has entered the final year of his four-term deal penned when he joined from Stuttgart in the summer of 2023 for £16m.The Japanese midfielder has claimed on social media he has retired from international football which could help prolong his club career but he has rarely been first choice during his time on Merseyside.He could be seen as an expendable asset this summer but, at the age of 33, the versatile Endo may also be viewed as someone who can provide depth, particularly at centre-back, and the prospect of him leaving next summer for nothing looks distinct at this stage.Harvey Elliott is perhaps the most intriguing of the 11 players whose contracts expire next year.The midfielder barely featured for Aston Villa during his season-long loan spell, owing largely to their reluctance to make the deal permanent at £35m while they continued to be aware of their PSR situation.Elliott was wanted by RB Leipzig last summer but Liverpool were looking for closer to £50m at the time for someone who starred for England's Under-21s as they won the European Championship.Inactivity at Villa Park won't have done much for his valuation, however, and there is a world where the door to the first team re-opens for Elliott this summer under a new coach with a fresh set of ideas. Calvin Ramsay: Four years into his Liverpool career and he is no closer to the first team.