Ragnar Klavan has said he hopes Liverpool can find a solution to keep Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah beyond this season.
Both players, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold, have been locked in negotiations with the club for months, but no solution has yet been found. It led to a banner being unveiled at Anfield earlier this season which stated: “FSG, give Mo & Co their dough.”
But Klavan, who knows the players well from his time at Liverpool admitted talks involving new contracts tend to be ‘complicated’, while claiming he hopes his former team-mates remain at Anfield beyond the summer.
“Of course, I would be really happy,” the 39-year-old said when asked if he hopes to see Salah sign a new deal at Liverpool. “I don’t know what is the situation there. But I would love to see him play and more years here in Liverpool.”
As for Van Dijk, his one-time defensive partner, Klavan, added: “Hopefully they will find a solution. It’s complicated of course but I hope from the bottom of my heart that they will stay here.”
Both Salah and Van Dijk are likely to collect a second Premier League winners’ medal, something Klavan missed out on during his time with Liverpool, where he played between 2016 and 2018. He’s among several generations of ex-Reds who dealt with the burden of expectation from fans amid the team’s decade-long run without a title win.
Unsurprisingly, he’s been impressed at how quickly Arne Slot has adapted to his new role at Liverpool. “They [the team] are doing good,” said the Estonian. “Some disappointing weeks [against PSG and Newcastle] but you can also see the new manager coming in, they just keep on going.
“You can see that determination of course. The last couple of weeks have been a little bit rocky but I think they are in a good spot to win the league.”
Klavan was speaking to the media after Liverpool Legends’ game against Chelsea on Saturday when a Peter Crouch brace ensured the hosts won 2-0. The ex-defender was one of three players who managed to get through 90 minutes and spoke of his delight at playing in front of a 60,000 crowd at Anfield once again.
“It’s amazing, and brings back a lot of memories. Of course for me it was only two years of those memories, for other players it’s more and more. But to see and bring out this kind of crowd, full house at Anfield, that means that this club is really important for this city. You can feel and to do it for the charity is amazing.”
