Liverpool boss Arne Slot has insisted that he will only talk about new contracts with sporting director Richard Hughes and not in public. The Reds are yet to agree new deals for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, who are arguably their most important assets.
All three players will be out of contract at the end of the season as things stand. If they are not tied down before the turn of the year, they will be free to sign pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs from the start of January.
Slot was pushed for an update in Friday's press conference but made it clear that he would not be drawn into speaking about contracts. He insisted that his conversations with Hughes should remain private until there is something for the club to announce.
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Asked if he wanted Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah to remain at Liverpool beyond the end of the campaign, he said: "It would be strange if I had no input. I am a head coach now, no longer the manager.
"Sometimes that's convenient, so talk about contracts with someone else. I'm one of [the people involved in talks] but I should not talk about it in public. I speak about it with Richard and not in front of you guys with a microphone."
Alexander-Arnold continues to be linked with Real Madrid, who are thought to have a long-standing interest in his signature. Salah, meanwhile, has been tipped to make a big-money move to Saudi Arabia ahead of next season.
Van Dijk has also been the subject of intense speculation regarding a potential Anfield exit. In the summer, he refused to confirm whether his future would be at Liverpool given the uncertainty around his contract situation.
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Earlier this month, Slot confirmed that all three players were in talks over new deals. He said: "At the moment, all three of them are in a good place. They all perform really, really, really well.
"There are ongoing discussions between what Virgil said, the people he had to talk with. And that’s not me, as you know. I talk to him about other things. Let’s wait and see.
"I think all that he says is completely right as he doesn’t exactly know what his future brings as long as he hasn’t signed the contract."
