'There's always room for a striker to strengthen us' - Van Dijk's statement rocks Liverpool dressing room

Liverpool lost the English Super Cup to Crystal Palace on Sunday. The match finished 2-2 after 90 minutes, with Palace winning 3-2 on penalties.

Despite Liverpool spending €95 million on Hugo Ekitike (23) from Frankfurt, who debuted with a goal, and €116 million on Florian Wirtz (22) from Leverkusen, Van Dijk insists the team urgently needs another striker.

The Dutchman's statement comes as the English champions are attempting to sign Newcastle striker Alexander Isak (25).

Last week, Liverpool sold Darwin Nunez to Al Hilal and Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich without bringing in replacements, diminishing their attacking options.

Furthermore, Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa are rumored to be on their way out, which would further deplete manager Arne Slot's attacking options.

After Sunday's defeat, a reporter told Van Dijk, via Sportal, that Liverpool now has "so many options in attack". Van Dijk interrupted him: "Do we?"

He continued: "Well, we've just lost Darwin, who's gone to Saudi Arabia, and Luis Diaz, who went to Bayern. I think there's always room for a striker to strengthen us, so we'll see what we can bring in during the transfer window," Van Dijk said, as quoted by thisisanfield.com.

Liverpool are searching for Nunez's replacement, with Isak remaining their primary target, even after their initial €131 million bid was rejected.

Manager Arne Slot also hinted after the match about the need for another striker, explaining his decision to substitute Ekitike in the 71st minute: "For me, with only three or four days between Friday's game [against Bournemouth], it wouldn't have been smart to let him play 90 minutes."