Six Liverpool stars could follow Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson out of Anfield
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Andoni Iraola faces a potential mass exodus at Liverpool, with six senior players – including Van Dijk and Alisson – set to leave as free agents when their contracts expire next summerAndy Robertson and Mohamed Salah both left Liverpool this summer(Image: Getty Images)Andoni Iraola is facing a potentially sweeping exodus at Liverpool, with six first-team players set to see their contracts expire next summer. Iraola was officially unveiled as Liverpool's new head coach on Thursday, signing a two-year deal with the Reds following an impressive three-year tenure at Bournemouth.His arrival came in the wake of Arne Slot's sacking following a dismal second season at the helm, just 12 months after his Premier League title triumph.
Iraola must immediately contend with the absence of one of Slot's preferred defensive options, Ibrahima Konaté, following the Frenchman's departure as a free agent.The club confirmed last week that Konaté would leave upon the expiration of his contract this summer, after discussions over a new deal collapsed. The centre-back confirmed the following day via social media that his Anfield chapter had come to a close, and is expected to move to Real Madrid.Nevertheless, Iraola may need to brace himself for several further departures over the next 12 months, as six more players' contracts are due to lapse this time next year.Captain Virgil van Dijk, Curtis Jones, Alisson Becker, Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo and Stefan Bajcetic will all leave on a free transfer in a year's time, unless they commit to fresh terms beforehand, reports the Express.The predicament leaves Iraola in a particularly challenging position, as he faces considerable uncertainty over which of these pivotal players he can rely upon going forward.Virgil van Dijk could leave Liverpool for free in a year's timeThe possibility of their departures as free agents presents a considerable financial problem for the club, with their combined market value standing at £74million, according to Transfermarkt.This situation has become a familiar challenge at Liverpool in recent years, with players allowing their contracts to wind down.
By not selling them early enough, their valuations plummet as they near the end of their deals, leaving the club either unable to recover their worth or, worse still, watching them leave for nothing.The Reds hierarchy seem not to have taken lessons from last year's expensive episode, when the futures of key trio Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold remained uncertain for much of the campaign, creating an unwanted distraction.In the end, Alexander-Arnold was the only departure in the summer of 2025, much to the fury of the Anfield faithful, though the club did secure a modest fee for his transfer to Real Madrid before the free agency deadline.Salah and Van Dijk subsequently signed short-term contracts, yet both men held the stronger position throughout negotiations - just as the current group of unsettled players do now.Iraola must act quickly alongside Anfield's hierarchy to determine which players should be sold immediately and which he would prefer to keep, at the risk of potentially losing them for nothing.