Liverpool's contract scenario is seemingly not getting any better.
Mohamed Salah's outspoken rant to the media following the win at Southampton earlier this month has seemingly lit the blue-touch paper with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk still waiting to find out their fate.
FSG are shrewd operators in the transfer market but this one feels like a real test given how crucial contract talks could be. Liverpool's season could quickly derail as we look at the deadlines and what that means for Arne Slot heading into the January transfer window.
How long have Liverpool got to act?
Salah and Alexander-Arnold remain the most curious questions, especially given how high profile their links away from the club have been. The Egyptian is rumoured to be liked by PSG, whilst England international Trent continues to be talked with a switch to Real Madrid.
As it stands, both will be out of contract on June 30 and on January 1, clubs from around the world will be free to negotiate a deal to sign them in the summer transfer window on what is known as a pre-contract agreement.
Van Dijk is also throwing up his own level of mystery. The Liverpool captain continues to be seen as one of the top defenders in world football, so to let him leave for free in the summer would be another dagger to Slot's masterplan.
Links with Real Madrid have emerged loosely but again, if nothing is agreed at Anfield in the coming weeks before the new year, Van Dijk would be free to chat to prospective clubs about a move elsewhere ahead of the 2024/25 season.
What has Arne Slot said on the contract fiasco at Liverpool?
In all honesty, Slot seems as frustrated as most given his playing-down antics in recent weeks. The Dutchman would be unwise to react to what the media want to hear but his comments suggest things are moving slowly in the background.
"It would be strange if I had no input," he said back in November. "Sometimes being head coach is convenient. Contract situations are talked about by people who need to talk about it. I speak about it with Richard and not in front of you guys with a microphone."
In FourFourTwo's opinion, it seems unreasonable to presume all three players will remain at Liverpool ahead of next season.
Slot will want to make his own mark on the team he has inherited and Alexander-Arnold, in our view, would be the most likely to leave this summer.
Liverpool are back in action against Newcastle United in midweek, as the Premier League jumps into a frenzy of midweek football.
