What Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Arne Slot have said about Liverpool contracts amid latest Alexander-Arnold debate

With the January transfer window now just hours away from opening, talks surrounding Liverpool’s out of contract players have become one of the leading conversation topics. While the Reds continue their push to the Premier League title, one eye is still on the trio who could potentially leave Anfield as free agents in just six months’ time.

Since the summer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have been at the forefront of the club’s transfer speculation. Contrasting reports have done the rounds over and over again, leaving fans none the wiser over the contract situations.

Exit rumours have only added fuel to the fire, too. Saudi Arabian clubs made Salah their number one target in 2023 and the interest bled into this year, with many expecting the Egyptian to see out his contract and take a Middle Eastern move on mega money. There was a brief period where Van Dijk was also linked with the Saudi Pro League and, of course, arguably the biggest concern of them all, Real Madrid’s fondness of Alexander-Arnold.

Once the January window opens, all three players will be able to enter pre-contract negotiations with foreign clubs. Are Liverpool likely to lose three of their most influential players, or are discussions ticking away behind the scenes? Let’s take a look at what the players themselves have most recently said regarding their contract situations.

Mohamed Salah

After his bombshell comments about not yet being offered a new deal and feeling ‘more out than in’ at the club, Salah has since spoken again about signing a new deal with Liverpool. Despite many backing him to extend his stay imminently, things aren’t moving as quick as many would like.

“No, we’re far away from that. But again, I don’t want to put something in the media and people start saying stuff, but nothing has really moved on,” Salah admitted to Sky Sports after the West Ham game. “For now, the only thing on my mind is Liverpool winning the league and I want to be part of that. That is the only thing I’ve focused on since the beginning of this season.”

Virgil van Dijk

Paul Joyce recently reported that ‘securing Van Dijk’s future is believed to be the priority for the club’. However, the captain told reporters after the nine-goal thriller against Tottenham Hotspur that nothing had changed since he was last asked about an extension at Anfield.

“There is no deadline at all. We will see what the future brings. Is there an update? No,” Van Dijk told reporters. He also briefly touched on Salah’s situation but did not provide any significant update there either.

“The numbers speak for themselves. He’s a very special athlete. He’s done amazingly for the club and hopefully he can play his best season ever for the club, stay important with his goals and assists and be clinical. He is a professional. We’ve been there, he’s been there, so onto the next [game]. And next season? I don’t know.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Alexander-Arnold recently told the media that any contract discussions between him and Liverpool in the past have been done in private, suggesting this could be a similar situation. His celebration after scoring a stunning goal against West Ham also opened up the floor to interpretation.

After firing a long-range strike into the net, Alexander-Arnold celebrated by gesturing with his hand near his ear, as if to mimic chatter around him. While fans have tried to pick apart what he could be implying, Arne Slot referred to the celebration during a post-match interview.

“No, I don’t think it’s negative at all. He’s playing really well, scored a great goal and the way he celebrated his goal probably tells you enough,” the boss admitted.

“I don’t think I have to say much more about it. I’m really happy with Trent, just as happy as I am with Mo and with Virgil, so for me there’s no difference. For the outside world, maybe there’s a bit more things happening around Trent in the media than with the other two but yeah, I’m happy with all three of them at the moment.”