How close Mohamed Salah & Virgil van Dijk were to leaving Liverpool for free as club chairman Tom Werner reveals what really happened in contract talks

Van Dijk has been an on-field leader throughout his time with Liverpool and now fills the captain’s armband. He hoisted the Premier League title aloft last season and has passed 330 appearances for the Reds having joined them from Southampton for £75 million ($98m) in January 2018. He is now tied to a deal through to 2027.

Salah’s contract has been extended to the same point, with the Egyptian superstar being talked into a prolonged stay with the Reds. After being heavily linked with teams in the Saudi Pro League, the prolific forward is looking to complete a decade of service at Anfield. He has plundered 250 goals through 417 appearances.

There was the threat at one stage of both Van Dijk and Salah moving on, leaving Liverpool with sizeable holes to fill in their squad. Protracted discussions ultimately delivered agreements that everybody is happy with.

Discussing that process, Werner has told The Athletic of how sporting director Richard Hughes helped to avoid any drama on the exit front for John W Henry and Fenway Sports Group: "My impatience is balanced by his patience. I'd call him frequently and say, ‘Richard, how are things going with Mo Salah and his contract?’, and he would say, ‘Tom, it will all be good in the end’. I think all the agents who deal with him would say that he conducts business in a very respectful way. He has a plan and he executes it.

"We were delighted that the new contracts for Mo and Virgil were sorted. But you know what? If Richard had called and said, ‘The chasm is too big’, I would have respected that too. John, Mike and I try to find people who are excellent at their jobs and let them do their jobs. We don't meddle, we just provide support and advice from our point of view. There's a lot of trust. I can't say enough wonderful things about Richard."

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While Liverpool fans were delighted to see Van Dijk and Salah stay, both have seen their performances in 2025-26 called into question. Wayne Rooney is among those to have demanded more from the Reds’ skipper when it comes to maintaining high standards.

It has been suggested that Salah may yet be moved on, while Liverpool can demand a fee, with ex-Reds goalkeeper David James telling GOAL recently: "You could envisage a situation where Mo's numbers aren't what Liverpool need. And if there were a potential suitor somewhere else, then I'm sure with conversation, because Mo does have a say in it, that Liverpool would be willing to let him go.

"Under contract, I don't think I could see a situation where Mo's going to hang around just to get paid. I think there would be a situation where, through conversation because I know the dialogue with Liverpool is always really good, that the two parties would sit down and discuss the future.

"However, if Mo starts doing what Liverpool would like him to do and Mo I'm sure would like to do and starts scoring loads of goals, then their hand could be forced by a potential suitor, because whatever club is interested, Saudi logically as they're the ones with the money, they may make an offer that Liverpool can't refuse."

Defending Premier League champions Liverpool, who have slipped to eighth in the table through 11 games this season - suffering five defeats and conceding 17 goals - will be back in action after the November international break on Saturday when playing host to Nottingham Forest, who sit inside the relegation zone.