This article contains affiliate links, and we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Arne Slot has been warned that Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is “obviously unhappy” and may call it a day on his Reds career this summer. Slot is set to take over from Jurgen Klopp next season in a summer of transformation at Anfield and will do everything it takes to keep hold of the skipper. Van Dijk has just over a year left on his current contract, casting doubt over his future at the club just as Slot is set to arrive.
Reds icon Graeme Souness believes that the Dutch defender would be open to a move away, specifically to Real Madrid, in what would be a major blow to the Feyenoord boss as he prepares to make the jump to the Premier League. Slot would likely want his compatriot, one of the world’s best centre-backs, on side to ease the transition at a post-Klopp Liverpool, with Joel Matip also expected to leave on a free transfer. But Souness has warned Slot of a possible Van Dijk exit. “If you’d asked me about this a month ago, I would’ve said whoever takes over from Jurgen Klopp is inheriting the most fabulous situation, but I can’t say that anymore,” Souness told the Three Up Front podcast.
“With the way that they’ve performed this month, Liverpool have now got a big question mark against their character. “The fact that Virgil van Dijk’s contract end is coming up worries me, he’s 33 in July, and if his agent were to call up the sporting director at Real Madrid, they’d take him. I just look at him now and the noise he’s been making, which he hasn’t done throughout his career, and I think he’s obviously unhappy. “He’ll have asked questions about the new manager already and will be the one that Arne Slot has to win over.
Slot must get Van Dijk onside – he’s the captain – but Van Dijk might not fancy him. “He might’ve heard something on the grapevine and may think that this guy won’t take the team where they want to be, the clock is ticking on his career, maybe he needs to go someplace else to win more silverware. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time.
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Graeme Souness raised the prospect of Virgil van Dijk seeking out a Liverpool exit.