Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey says Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk will both "definitely" be staying at Anfield next season despite there being no news on new contracts for the pair just yet.

But he is less sure about Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has courted interest from Real Madrid. The Spanish side even tried to go for him this month ahead of his existing deal expiring in the summer.

Liverpool is in talks over extending the contracts of the trio but is running the risk of losing them all for nothing as things stand. Trying to replace any of them would be tricky — and certainly not cheap.

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"I believe two of them will be [staying at Liverpool], definitely," Heskey has told the Daily Express. "The third one — Trent Alexander-Arnold — is a bit 50-50."

Van Dijk and Salah are likeliest to want to stay at Liverpool. The Reds captain is happy on Merseyside though he has spoken little about his contract situation, while Salah has been more open in his attempts to put pressure on the club.

Alexander-Arnold has opted not to say anything while talks take place. He has previously outlined that he does not intend for negotiations to play out in public.

Liverpool.com says: Heskey's prediction seems reasonable. Ideally all three players would be tied down but Real Madrid is an alluring prospect. Van Dijk and Salah, if they do indeed want to stay, should be deals that Liverpool can do.

They remain right up there as the best in the world in their position even if they are into their 30s and approaching the point where caution on contract length is advisable. Two-year deals, as a minimum, should be offered and the sooner the speculation about their futures can be put to bed, the better.