Just in: Liverpool expects a star player to leave, but has new contract plans for a key duo.

Liverpool are reportedly making plans to keep manager Jurgen Klopp and key defender Virgil van Dijk, but it appears that star forward Mohamed Salah will leave in the near future.

According to Football Transfers, the Reds received a massive bid from Al Ittihad for Salah at the end of the summer, and it appears that a move to the Saudi Pro League is still very much a possibility.

Still, Liverpool may have more reason to be optimistic about two other key figures in Klopp and club captain Van Dijk, with some sort of plan in place to keep both of them at Anfield in the long run.

Van Dijk’s current contract expires in 2025, and Klopp recently signed a new contract until 2026, so this does not appear to be a pressing matter for the club.

LFC fans will be relieved, however, that something is being planned to keep two such important figures in the club’s recent history, even if there may not be much that can be done to prevent Salah from leaving in the not-too-distant future.

Salah and Van Dijk have both been key members of Klopp’s squad during his hugely successful reign at Anfield, and it appears prudent not to lose too much of the core of that squad too quickly after the recent departures of Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino, and Fabinho.

We understand that the Reds are hoping to secure the long-term future of the club’s legends, even as they prepare for Mohamed Salah’s possible departure to the Saudi Pro League in 2024.

Salah was the subject of a world-record bid from Al-Ittihad near the end of the previous transfer window, but their bid of £150 million was turned down. Liverpool, bracing for his possible departure, wants Klopp and Van Dijk to commit to their futures so they can begin to plan an assault to end Manchester City’s dominance.

Liverpool finished fifth last season, while Manchester City won four of the last five Premier League titles. The club has now set their sights on dethroning Pep Guardiola’s men in the coming years, and they believe that extending the contracts of Klopp and Van Dijk will be critical in doing so.