Ex-Liverpool chief broken his silence on contract talks with Salah, TAA and VVD

A former Liverpool official has broken his silence on contract negotiations with star trio Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk.

All three players' contracts expire at the end of the season, and they could begin talks about possible moves to foreign clubs in January, before the end of the season.

The futures of all three players are in serious doubt, with the majority of fans baffled as to why their deals ended at the same time without a decision being made on their futures.

Between them they have made 976 appearances for the Reds, with Salah joining in 2017, Van Dijk in 2018 and Alexander-Arnold when he was just five years old.

But next season could look very different for the club, who are already in a period of transition following the departure of Jurgen Klopp as manager in the summer, with Arne Slot taking the reins.

However, the Reds are believed to be in negotiations with all three parties, and former Liverpool CEO Peter Moore has revealed what he knows of the talks.

“I'm old enough to remember Kevin Keegan going to Hamburg thinking the world was falling apart around us,” he said via Soccerex. 'Who are we going to give the ball to? Then someone said we had this guy from Celtic: [Kenny] Dalglish.

'I don't know what's going to happen. If it's Trent, it's Virgil and it's Mo. It's hard to imagine any of them leaving Liverpool. I know ownership works feverishly to get deals done, whether it's all three, two of the three, one of the three or none of the three.

“I don't know, but when you look at those players you like that they all seem very committed at the moment. There is no stopping the game – especially with these three – for one reason or another.

“Even in Trent's case, it's the seniors. Think about what they offer, and in January, especially in Trent's case, we'll see what happens. But I know ownership is talking to their respective agents – I'm sure they're at a fever pitch.”

Moore, 69, became CEO of Liverpool in 2017 and worked under current owners Fenway Sports Group.

He worked with all three players during his time at the club, overseeing the 2019 Champions League triumph and 2020 Premier League triumph.

He was also named Premier League CEO of the Year in 2019 and left his position at the end of the 2019-20 season.

Speaking about Liverpool's current situation, Moore added: 'We are blessed as a football club with that consistency. Look at Liverpool now as a football club: 17 games, 16 wins. It looks a little different from Jurgen's football style. A defense that does not concede any goals and an attack that is as fluid as in the [Sadio] Mane, [Roberto] Firmino, Salah era.”

However, it remains unclear whether any of the three out-of-contract players will extend their stay, with Salah raising eyebrows earlier this season when he said it was his final season at Liverpool.

There is still a possibility that all three players could sign new deals, but if no agreements can be made, all three will become free agents.

Alexander-Arnold in particular has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, who were reportedly interested in signing him in January, although that now seems unlikely.

However, reports of the Spanish champions' interest in the 26-year-old are not going away, with some suggestions emerging that they expect him to join the club next year.