Virgil van Dijk fears Liverpool face 'difficult' job to strengthen with summer signings

Virgil van Dijk fears Liverpool face 'difficult' job to strengthen with summer signings,Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has admitted the Reds will face a difficult job to strengthen over the summer with Jurgen Klopp's side looking increasingly likely to miss out on the Champions League

Virgil van Dijk fears Liverpool face ‘difficult’ job to strengthen with summer signings

Virgil van Dijk reckons Liverpool have a 'difficult' job on their hands to land new signings this summer.

But he insists the Reds players have to help their chase for fresh recruits by making sure they have Champions League football on offer. The Dutch defender wasn’t shy in saying that Jurgen Klopp’s squad needs improving at the end of what is now a trophyless season.

Van Dijk believes departing players – such as Roberto Firmino – will need replacing while Klopp has been open about the need for new players. That was evident over two legs against Real Madrid in which the Reds were comfortably dismissed from the Champions League 6-2 on aggregate.

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But there is no guarantee that Liverpool will be in this competition next season as they face a fight in the Premier League to finish in the top four. “Obviously players are going to leave,” said Van Dijk.

“That’s obviously been announced so we have to, if we want to be where we have been the last five years, we need quality imports especially with those players leaving. I think that’s quite obvious. But everyone knows that’s going to be very difficult, it is going to be very difficult to find the right players but the club has to do their job in this case.

“We still have a lot of games to play for us and we want to be in the Champions League. I think that will also help to attract the best players in the world. Not all the time but it will definitely help.”

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Jurgen Klopp's side have struggled this season (Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool’s top priority this summer is Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham as Klopp looks to improve an ageing midfield with the young England international. But more will be needed and whether or not the Reds can attract the class of Bellingham will come down to if they have Champions League football.

They currently trail fourth-placed Tottenham by six points in the chase for the Champions League places with Manchester United a further two points ahead. Newcastle and Brighton are also in the mix while Liverpool face a huge week on the return from the international break.

They face champions Manchester City, Chelsea and table toppers Arsenal in the space of eight days.

Jude Bellingham is believed to be at the top of Liverpool's shopping list (Image: Getty Images)

Van Dijk added: “It’s going to be very defining and that’s something we all know. We will give it absolutely everything because I want to play in the Champions League, we all want to play in the Champions League.

“The fans want to play in the Champions League. We are the players on the pitch, we have to perform and we have to show it but we need also our fans.

“They have stuck with us in the good times and we need them probably even more in this time. We will fight and we will see good results also.”