Arne Slot makes blunt admission over contract talks with top Liverpool stars

Arne Slot has revealed his intention to keep Liverpool contract discussions with top stars such as Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Virgil van Dijk behind closed doors. But he did admit he has a big say.

All three, who were part of the Reds' Champions League and Premier League-winning squads, are out of contract next summer. Van Dijk has already confirmed that talks have begun over extending his stay at Anfield, while reports from the Liverpool Echo suggest that Salah would also like to remain with Liverpool.

However, Alexander-Arnold's future remains uncertain. All three can negotiate with clubs outside of England starting in January, with Real Madrid said to be one of the frontrunners for Alexander-Arnold's signature.

Manager Slot, who has had a near-perfect start to life at Liverpool losing just once, has confirmed he'll play a key role in contract decisions this season - but refused to air out information to the media and will keep it with sporting director Richard Hughes.

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"It would be strange if I had no input. Sometimes being head coach is convenient," Slot said ahead of this weekend's clash with Aston Villa. "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."

Heading into this weekend, Liverpool has a chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League. The Reds are two points above defending champions Manchester City, who are suffering from the loss of Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, losing their Champions League game 4-1 to Sporting Lisbon.

And Arsenal are lagging seven points behind, which could be extended to ten should Liverpool beat Villa and the Gunners lose to London rivals Chelsea. Liverpool will be without Diogo Jota this weekend, Slot has confirmed, with Luis Diaz set to be leaned on after his hat-trick display in the 4-0 win over German champions, Bayer Leverkusen.

"I liked the last idea with Lucho scoring three goals, it is always interesting to see but Lucho is a good left winger," Slot said. "We have 4 available for 3 positions, so we could think of another idea but if Diogo is back then we have 2 No.9s. Lucho did really well, and even for me, it was a bit of a surprise. I expected him to do good but that he did so well was a surprise."

He added: "He shoots 10 times and scores 3? We all see he has better numbers than last season, I just think the team provides chances for these players.

"If Jota or Nunez plays they score, Lucho scores left wing and Cody also, so that tells me the team is providing goals for these great players and they all have quality; that is why they play for LFC. That is what I make of it but I cannot compare with last season."