Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has addressed the inevitable future of the club without captain Virgil van Dijk, insisting that while the defender remains vital, the hierarchy is already preparing for a transition.

Speaking ahead of a crurcial clash with Manchester City, Slot emphasised that Liverpool’s recruitment strategy is based on long-term stability rather than reactive “panic.”

The comments come on the heels of the Reds securing a €60 million deal for Rennes’ 20-year-old sensation Jeremy Jacquet, widely viewed as the long-term successor to the Dutch giant.

Slot lays out Liverpool plan for Virgil van Dijk

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Slot was candid about the reality of aging stars, noting that while Van Dijk’s current contract runs until June 2027, the club must look ahead.

Speaking to the media ahead of the game against City, he said (via BBC Sport): “Everything done over here is never from panic, it’s always long term idea and or something that has been thought about for a long time and not only one person.

“Of course, we are aware of the fact that Virgil won’t play for 10 years but he has one-and-a-half years [of] contract left, so he will be with us for that time, maybe longer even...