Salah (32), Van Dijk (33) and Alexander-Arnold (25) are all out of contract at the end of this season, so they will be able to negotiate with a non-English club from 1 January 2025, regarding free transfers at the end of this season.
Each member of the trio has different values for Liverpool and are at different stages of their careers. But right now, because of the way Liverpool operate, their futures are intertwined. If one’s future is resolved first, it will have a direct impact on what happens to the others.
Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) and football chief executive Michael Edwards know exactly what is at stake in the coming weeks. The silence from inside Liverpool’s boardroom on individual contract situations is not unusual. However, it has created uncertainty and anxiety among fans, worried about the possibility of losing up to three star players but also worried about the board’s inaction.
Van Dijk was the first to make his situation public in August, saying there had been “no change” to his contract extension. Salah, after scoring in a 3-0 win over Manchester United in September, also revealed that Liverpool had not yet opened talks over a new contract.
"Nobody at the club has spoken to me about a new contract. So I'll just play this last season and then see at the end of the season. It doesn't depend on me, but nobody has spoken to me about a contract. We'll see," the Egyptian striker said.
With Van Dijk and Salah, Liverpool's delay in negotiating new contracts is perhaps understandable. With both in their 30s and among the club's highest earners, the 'Reds' have to calculate their value in the coming years.
How long can Van Dijk and Salah continue to play like world-class players? And can the club confidently offer them a new contract, for another two or even three years, without being stuck at the end of it? That is the dilemma facing FSG.
In recent years, with stars like Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson, FSG have erred on the side of caution. The form of Mane, Firmino and Henderson since leaving Anfield has proven that the Reds were right in each case to sell them.
Salah and Van Dijk, however, are on a different level, in terms of their status as club legends and still playing at the highest level. However, by allowing these players to run into the final year of their contracts, Liverpool have lost control. And the only way to regain control now is to offer new contracts, both in terms of length and financial value, that the club would normally not want to give.
