Van Dijk: There is no other place to be aside from Liverpool

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk does not see any point in being anywhere else, but admitted his situation was different to that of Trent Alexander-Arnold's.

Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah were all in the final year of their contracts going into this season, though Alexander-Arnold is the only one who has not signed a renewal.

The right-back announced last week that he would be leaving Liverpool when his deal expires, with widespread reports linking him with a move to Real Madrid.

"For me, there is no other place to be at this point," said Van Dijk, as quoted by the Daily Mail. "Everyone shares different opinions, and he [Alexander-Arnold] feels like he has done it all – and he did it – and he wants to try something different.

"You are speaking about one of the biggest clubs of all in Real Madrid, who he might go to, as I read in the media! The decision is made. We are all gutted, players as well, as he is a fantastic player.

"When the final whistle is there, we will miss him after that, but we still have two more games, the trophy lift and a parade, so there are plenty of moments we can share together, and then we will see what happens."

Alexander-Arnold has been at Liverpool for his entire professional career, having worked his way up through the academy to make his senior debut in October 2016.

Within that period, the England international has made 258 league appearances for the club and has become their second-longest serving player behind Joe Gomez.

He has also provided 64 assists in the Premier League during that span, more than any other defender in the competition's history.

Despite that, he was booed by a section of fans at Anfield when he came off the bench in Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, which was his first appearance since announcing his impending departure.

"The manager said it right in the press conference that you can't decide how anyone feels about the decision he made for him and his family," Van Dijk continued.

"The reaction happened. He has to deal with it. We as a team have to deal with that as well, by the way. But I think maybe he expected this. We have two more games, and then we part ways, and he will go somewhere else.

"It's not easy, not at all. We're here for him anyway, but I think the manager said it pretty well. You can't decide how anyone's feelings are based on this decision. He made his decision, and he had peace with it.

"It's football. We all know how it works, how the players have to make decisions at times and do what they think is best for themselves and their families that they have. He made the decision for himself, and he's at peace with it.

"We have to deal with it. The club has to deal with it, and I think in the past the club dealt with it in very good ways as well. Like I said, we have two more games that he will have to play a part in as well. I'm sure he will because he's a fantastic player, and then we'll say goodbye to him."

With Alexander-Arnold leaving the club, and Liverpool having made just one outfield signing since Arne Slot joined – Federico Chiesa – the Dutchman also acknowledged that it was pivotal for Liverpool to get the off-season right.

"It has to be a big summer, and I trust the club and the people who make the decisions to do the right thing. As champions, it is a very difficult task to remain champions, but I feel with additions we can make that step up," he said.

"We can have a proper pre-season, we can work on the things the manager wants us to do in ball possession and, without ball possession, a lot of hard work will be done. It's something to look forward to, it's very exciting, and it's an exciting time to be associated with Liverpool.

"Let's see what happens, but I fully trust the decision-makers to do the right things and let's see what those right things are."