Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has issued a strong transfer request following his team’s Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The Reds suffered their second straight defeat at Wembley, falling to Crystal Palace.
The match ended 2-2 after 90 minutes, with Palace ultimately winning 3-2 on penalties. Liverpool started well as new signing Hugo Ekitike scored just four minutes into the game.
However, Palace equalized through a Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty at 17 minutes, awarded after Van Dijk fouled Ismaila Sarr.
Arne Slot’s team took the lead again just four minutes later thanks to a somewhat lucky goal by Jeremie Frimpong. Palace then leveled the score once more at 77 minutes through Sarr, sending the game to a penalty shootout.
In the shootout, Mohamed Salah, Harvey Elliott, and Alexis Mac Allister missed their attempts, while Justin Devenny converted the winning penalty for Palace, sparking celebrations among their fans.
After the game, some Liverpool supporters expressed concerns about the team lacking attacking options off the bench following the departures of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.
Speaking to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook after the match, Van Dijk said, “I hate losing… and my last two games at Wembley haven’t been great.”
He added, “With Darwin and Lucho gone, we definitely need a new striker this summer.”
Liverpool’s main target appears to be Newcastle forward Alexander Isak.
The 25-year-old Isak has been linked with Liverpool all summer, with the Reds having a £110 million plus add-ons offer rejected by Newcastle last week.
Despite Liverpool’s interest, Isak returned to Newcastle’s training on Monday but was told by head coach Eddie Howe to stay away from first-team sessions.
Howe shared his thoughts on Saturday following Newcastle’s 2-0 friendly loss to Atletico Madrid.
“I think everything is up in the air,” Howe said. “He is under contract with us. He is our player. The club will decide his future.
“I don’t know what will happen. Of course, I want the best squad possible, but also players who are fully committed to playing for this club.”
Newcastle have insisted that Isak is not for sale this summer.
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