The world record Liverpool transfer revelation that hints at looming problem for Arne Slot

Another day, another Liverpool talisman being linked with the incalculable riches of the Saudi Pro League. The Kop can now, reluctantly, add Virgil van Dijk alongside Mo Salah and Alisson Becker to their list of worrying prospective Middle Eastern departures this summer.

According to Spanish outlet Marca, Al Nassr - home of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and Aymeric Laporte - are preparing a ‘market bomb’ to prise the towering Dutchman away from Anfield in the coming months. It is understood that earlier in the week, the general director of the Saudi outfit met with Van Dijk’s representatives to table a contract offer that would make him the highest-paid defender in world football. The exact specifics of the finances involved remain murky, but it is fair to assume that the number on the piece of paper clandestinely handed to the Liverpool captain’s people probably contained more zeroes than the binary code alphabet.

At this stage, it is unclear as to whether or not Van Dijk will take the bait. All we can say for certain, at the time of writing, is that the Dutchman is under contract on Merseyside until next summer, and that prior to this morsel of gossip, he has made no overt sounds as to his intention to leave.

The hope, of course, will be that he stays put for the time being. At 32, Van Dijk still has plenty to offer, and still looked every inch the elite Premier League defender for vast swathes of last season. Evidently, he cannot endure forever, but nobody associated with Liverpool will want to imagine him bidding farewell in the immediate future. Especially as the dust continues to settle on Jurgen Klopp’s emotional departure.

But Saudi interest in Van Dijk does speak to a sizeable issue facing the German’s successor, Arne Slot. Whoever replaced Klopp was always going to face an unenviable task, but the slog before him is complicated further by the fact that the Reds boast a squad very much on the brink of transition.

It is entirely possible that over the course of the next couple of years, the likes of Van Dijk, Salah, and Alisson could all leave Anfield; Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara are already on their way out. A whole crop of the experienced heads who ensured so much success over the course of the latter Klopp era may well have vanished into the ether before Liverpool next lay their hands on the Premier League title.

And with that change comes the pressure to adequately replace them. There are already strong arguments to be made for the Reds needing new central defenders, midfielders, and perhaps even a striker this summer. Factor in the galling exit of Van Dijk, as an example, and that recruitment drive becomes trickier and more vital still.

In an ideal world - at least from Slot’s perspective - Van Dijk et al. will stick around to help ease the incoming manager into his new role with as minimal upheaval as possible. But make no mistake, even if the Dutch talisman does resist the lure of the Pro League this summer, Liverpool still have a looming problem on their hands.