The Reds entered a new era on Merseyside following the official unveiling of Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp ’s successor, with the Dutchman replacing an outgoing manager who had won it all on Merseyside.

A new boss in the dugout at Anfield means there will be changes to Liverpool’s squad. And while it remains to be seen who might be sold, former Reds striker Michael Owen has told Slot Liverpool must keep Salah and van Dijk if it has any aspirations of winning the Premier League next season.

“You've got to keep the difference makers,” Owen told AceOdds. “You've got to find difference-makers. Liverpool have probably got three or four in their team that are the difference between being a decent team and a great team.

“And every team is the same. There will be good players, great players, and then there's just the absolute elite, and Virgil Van Dijk is the absolute elite.

"Mo Salah in his position, is the absolute elite. If you take both of them out of the team, they're not going to win the league next year. They are that important. Unless you replace them obviously with top equal players. So, yes, I would very much like to see Mo Salah and Van Dijk continue.”

While it is highly unlikely Liverpool will entertain any deal involving van Dijk, the same could not be said of Salah. Last summer, Liverpool had its resolve tested by Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, who offered a monstrous $269 million (£215m/€253m) for the Egyptian’s services.

Ultimately, the mooted deal from Saudi Arabia came too late in the window for Liverpool to part with Salah. Despite having invested heavily over the last few seasons, Salah’s goals were viewed as priceless, especially given the fact Liverpool had no time to even look for a replacement at the end of the window.

However, this time around, things might be different. If the Saudi Pro League comes calling once again with figures even remotely close to their 2023 summer bid and Salah wants to leave, the Reds will likely sell the Egyptian, and have a war chest to find his replacement.