Arne Slot has insisted it would be 'ridiculous' if he did not speak to Liverpool's three contract rebels about their futures. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah will all see their deals expire at the end of the season. There has been little sign of progress in tying down any of the trio to fresh contracts. That comes with all three being fresh to negotiate pre-contract agreements with overseas teams. Reds boss Slot has made Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah key players in his system as he has led his side to the top of the Premier League.

He is frequently asked for updates on their future, though has staunchly refused to go into detail. Now the Dutchman has issued an exasperate rebuttal to questions about the trio's chances of staying at Anfield. "I speak to them a lot. It would be ridiculous if we had never spoken about the future. But that is not something I am going to discuss with you. It is not only with the three who are out of contract. It's a non-stop process talking to your players," he said.

"It would be a surprise if anyone said they didn't want Mo Salah! He has done so well for so many years and he has done so well without my advice so he can keep doing what is best for his career. "My advice is different to the one you just mentioned (Saudi sports minister). I am not surprised someone wants him. He has done so many smart things in his career, so he will make the right decision for him and hopefully us in his career.".

While Slot handles on-field matters, it is sporting director Richard Hughes who is likely in charge of deciding the futures of Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Van Dijk. Hughes was also a summer arrival, with the former Portsmouth star leaving Bournemouth to join the Reds. It is Bournemouth who Liverpool will face this weekend. And Slot has revealed he is in regular contact with the sporting director about all matters, with the duo developing a close relationship.

"I spoke with him before this game – as I speak to him before every game. One day before the game, two days, three days, four days... we almost speak to each other on a daily basis," he said. "Of course, I asked him a few things on Bournemouth as well, but we have very good people that analyse Bournemouth and I am doing this myself quite a lot as well. I’ve seen a lot of games from them already. So, it is just the more information you can get, the better it is.

"My relationship with him is very good, which is probably what you can expect if you win a lot of games because mostly relationships between managers and sporting directors are a bit under debate if you start to lose a lot. My relationship with him is only very positive from the start until now.". Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.