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Virgil van Dijk highlighted the importance of Champions League football for Liverpool in their bid to improve the squad for next season.
Jurgen Klopp’s side suffered elimination from Europe’s elite competition with a resounding 6-2 aggregate defeat against Real Madrid in the last 16.
Sitting six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham in the Premier League with a game in hand over the north London side, Liverpool face a fight to secure their spot in next season’s competition.
Significant departures may also be on the cards, with Roberto Firmino already announcing he will leave upon the expiration of his contract, and Van Dijk understands being able to offer Champions League football may be crucial in the hunt for new additions.
“Obviously, players are going to leave. That’s been announced, so, if we want to be where we have been the last five years, we need quality imports, especially with those players leaving,” he told reporters.
“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 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.”
Due to Fulham’s involvement in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Liverpool are not in Premier League action this weekend and have plenty of time to prepare for a crucial run of fixtures.
Following the upcoming international break, Liverpool face back-to-back away matches against Manchester City and Chelsea before welcoming league leaders Arsenal to Anfield in a stretch that could define their season.
“It’s going to be very defining and that’s something we all know,” Van Dijk added.
“It’s been a season where we can’t find the consistency that we have had for the last few years, but we need to get it back.
“It sounds very simple but it’s the most difficult part of football. The most difficult part of being a footballer is to stay consistent in each and every game.
“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.”
