Liverpool has welcomed back six of their international stars following their hectic summer of tournament football .
Virgil van Dijk , Cody Gakpo , Trent Alexander-Arnold , Joe Gomez , Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz have all returned for pre-season training at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby just in time to coincide with the Reds' return from their US pre-season tour. Liverpool ran out 3-0 winners in their final game across the pond against Manchester United , with two more friendly games left before the start of the Premier League .
The Reds are set to take on Sevilla next week on Sunday, 11 August at Anfield , while also facing Las Palmas behind closed doors on the same day in what will be the final rehearsal before facing off against Ipswich Town in their Premier League opener at Portman Road the following week. However, while six more of Liverpool's international have now returned, one individual who was not spotted in the Reds pre-season return video they posted on social media was goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
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The 31-year-old, who has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia this summer , has been given an extended break, and will likely return to Merseyside in the coming days.
Thankfully, they have a capable backup in the form of Caoimhin Kelleher, who would start between the sticks for a number of Premier League teams. But despite the return of the six players, and the impending return of Alisson, Liverpool still has a number of issues to handle when it comes to their international stars.
Firstly, regarding Alisson, his extended break means Kelleher's future remains somewhat up in the air. The Irish international has hinted he could move on in order to become a No.1 elsewhere.
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Then there's the contract situations of Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold. Both are out of contract next summer and, while an extension for Van Dijk could prove to be simple provided he is still as close to the top of his game as possible, a new contract for Alexander-Arnold could be more difficult to get done, especially with interest looming from Real Madrid .
Incoming deals aside, Alexander-Arnold's contract situation should take priority over everything else away from matters on the pitch. The 25-year-old is a world class player and someone Liverpool absolutely cannot afford to lose on a free next summer.
Joe Gomez's future is also up in the air. The defender was reportedly open to signing for Newcastle this summer, with Anthony Gordon moving in the opposite direction .
A move to Tyneside for Gomez would likely have allowed him to play a center-back - but that option seems to have been taken off the table with Newcastle having alleviated their PSR concerns, and made a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
And then there's the future of Luis Diaz too. The winger has been linked with a move to Barcelona over the summer and while that seems unlikely given their current financial situtation, should Liverpool want to bring in another forward or two, they will likely have to move one of Diaz, Nunez, Gakpo or Diogo Jota on.
Liverpool.com says: The return of Liverpool's star players is welcome news for Arne Slot, who will now have two weeks to put together a plan for the Reds' clash against Ipswich Town. The Reds won all three of their games out in the US, with players like Fabio Carvalho shining for Slot's side - something which could also give the Dutchman a selection headache. It will be interesting to see just how Slot integrates and utilizes the players who missed the tour to the US when Liverpool take on Sevilla next weekend at Anfield.
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