Julian Ward in talks with Liverpool duo as huge call needs to be made

Julian Ward has a lot to try and sort out at Liverpool over the next year or so.

The Englishman took over from Richard Hughes as Liverpool's sporting director and inherited a team he probably didn't think he'd have to improve all that much.

But, since they're currently fourth in the Premier League, it's clear that improvements can be made.

Of course, the over £150 million that Liverpool spent on new players this summer has helped improve things at Anfield but, since their rivals also had the same idea, the gap between the Reds and the actual title challengers is still growing.

This is obviously worrying as, with the sheer amount of money that they spent on new players, you'd have hoped that they'd be better than they were last term.

Changes can be made at any point in the season so, the fact that Ward is already trying to plan ahead for the future is definitely good news.

Julian Ward is in contact with Virgil van Dijk and Alisson's agents

In June 2027, many contracts from players within Liverpool's first-team squad are set to expire.

The last couple of years at Anfield have been filled with players leaving for free and, while the Reds can afford to let some talent go for nothing, they can't make it a yearly thing.

Ibrahima Konate and Trent Alexander-Arnold are the two biggest-named players to have exited L4 recently.

However, this June, Alisson and Virgil van Dijk could both be on the chopping block.

The contracts of both players expire in 2027 and, right now, there are now talks taking place between the club and the players about extending their stays.

That is, unless this update from The Athletic journalist James Pearce is accurate.

"It was April 2025 before Salah and Van Dijk penned two-year extensions and, soon after, there was clarity regarding Alexander-Arnold’s desire to leave his boyhood club for Real Madrid," he wrote.

"There is unlikely to be a quick resolution this time, either — despite the fact that Van Dijk and Alisson could sign pre-contract agreements with clubs overseas in just 51 days.

"It makes sense for all parties to wait and see how things unfold in the coming weeks and months. Respect abounds and relationships are strong, with dialogue ongoing between sporting director Julian Ward and the pair’s camps.

"Given their legendary status, there will be a growing clamour externally for the club to do whatever it takes to keep Van Dijk and Alisson on board.

"However, Ward’s job involves taking the emotion out of the decision-making process, with renewal terms based on what he believes they have left to offer at the highest level beyond next summer rather than what they have already achieved at Anfield."

Liverpool must keep Alisson and Virgil van Dijk at Anfield

This season, Alisson and Van Dijk have been as important as ever.

Although there have been a couple of times this term when both players have made mistakes, more often than not, they've been some of Liverpool's best performers.

Of course, each of them are getting to the twilight stages of their careers now but, it would still be extremely hard to replace either of them.

Of the two, Alisson is probably the most replaceable but, with how well he's performed this season, he's making his case to be seen as one of the world's best goalkeepers again.

Van Dijk is obviously one of a kind. The Dutchman has been the rock at the centre of Liverpool's defence for as long as anyone can remember and, even if someone such as Giovanni Leoni ends up making his way into Iraola's plans this season, he'll still be nowhere near the level the Dutchman is.

There are a lot of questions that still need to be answered by all he involved parties but, for now at least, Liverpool should do everything they can to keep the duo at Anfield.