Julian Ward has decided, massive Liverpool deal is on the horizon

A huge decision has been made, and now a massive Liverpool deal could actually be happening.

Being a sporting director comes with a lot of pressures in modern football. It was a role that didn't necessarily exist in this form two decades ago.

But now, the sporting director is probably the most important position at a football club. They have to make the big decisions when it comes to the club's recruitment. They decide who and when to get rid of the coaching department and oversee numerous staff within the club.

It's an unrelenting job that also comes with a lot of scrutiny in the media.

Richard Hughes experienced that first-hand, with many proclaiming him as the reason for Liverpool's failures. His successor, Julian Ward, will want to run things differently.

Julian Ward's big decisions at Liverpool

Coming into this role at this particular time makes things even more difficult for Ward.

Liverpool are embarking on a huge change both on the pitch and off it. FSG have just sold a minority stake to the 1892 Holdings consortium led by Amit Bhatia.

There is an option to convert that into a majority stake in the coming years ahead. With the likes of Jeff Bezos involved, there is a strong possibility that Liverpool could come under new leadership in the near future.

At the same time, the squad is undergoing a metamorphosis. Liverpool are rebuilding their team after a successful decade under Jurgen Klopp.

Ward's task will be to recruit the key building blocks of this rebuild and ensure Liverpool bring in the right players in order to put together a team ready to compete at the upper echelons of world football.

Liverpool to make a contract renewal offer for Virgil van Dijk

At the same time, Ward is also going to have to make key decisions over contract renewals.

Liverpool have three key players with expiring deals at the end of this season. One of them is Van Dijk. However, he is not alone.

Alisson Becker's contract is also expiring, and Joe Gomez's deal is running out, too.

Liverpool may be more open to letting the latter two go considering their long service at Anfield.

However, Van Dijk is another matter. While there is a case to make for Gomez and Alisson to have declined in recent years, Van Dijk is still playing at an extremely high level.

It's why it comes as no surprise that TEAMtalk are now reporting that Liverpool are open to making a contract renewal offer of 12-months for Van Dijk.

Ward has clearly decided he would like the Dutchman to stay at Anfield. So, this massive deal could now happen. Although, it's not yet guaranteed.