Christmas Day didn't go quite is I'd envisaged. Don't get me wrong, the dinner was great and the acquisition of a pair of Puma King Astro boots will keep my over the hill amateur football career alive for another 12 months at least. But what I was really expecting was a slick over-elaborate social video from Liverpool FC announcing that Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and even Trent Alexander-Arnold had all signed new contracts committing their futures to the club. The perfect three gifts.

Alas, the video never arrived and the trio remain in contract limbo. What was I expecting? Christmas is for kids after all. That we are now mid-day through January and none of aforementioned Kop heroes have announced contract extensions has got even the most laid back of Liverpudlians nervous. Even the leftovers of a bottle of mulled wine won't calm the panic that the Reds could be about to lose some of their biggest stars.

But whilst most supporters remain confident that Salah and club captain Van Dijk will eventually sign new deals, the same cannot be said of Alexander-Arnold, who's reported flirtations with Real Madrid have put his Liverpool future in more doubt than any other player.

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It even led to him getting some mild stick on the terraces during an unfortunately timed below-par performance against Manchester United recently, but if we want to deal in facts there isn't a whole load of evidence to suggest that the homegrown hero is any more likely to move on than anyone else.

Reports have circled for weeks suggesting that Alexander-Arnold is open to a move to Liverpool's European arch-rivals Real Madrid and what we do know for certain is that the Spanish club's interest in the right-back is genuine, after they made a 'cheeky' enquiry about him on the eve of the January transfer window.

Liverpool gave Los Blancos a blunt no, but reports suggested that Real were willing to cough up £20m for his services now rather than take him for nothing in the summer. Whether that is true or not is anyone's guess but one thing we can be sure of is that the pro-Real Madrid Spanish press will do whatever it takes to unsettle Alexander-Arnold at Anfield and help pave the way for a controversial move to the Bernabeu.

The latest report from Marca, a Spanish outlet widely regarded to be the media mouthpiece of Los Blancos, claims that Real Madrid have not given up on the idea of capturing Alexander-Arnold in this transfer window, as opposed to waiting to get him for free on the expiry of his contract in June.

Either way, the pro-Madrid publication seems very sure of the outcome, writing: "With the player's yes in their pocket, through Valdebebas, they are hopeful that the owners of the English club will end up accepting the offer."

Valdebebas is the location of Madrid's training complex, outside the Spanish capital. Has Alexander-Arnold been there? That seems highly unlikely. And what assurances does Marca have that Alexander-Arnold has agreed to join Real at all?

Whilst it cannot be ruled out that all of the above is true, one suspects that this is classic transfer dark arts at work as those with influence try to engineer an outcome that brings a happy resolution to Real president Florentino Perez and his team of Galacticos.

Real have a habit of getting their man when it comes to big transfers, but it's not by accident. They are masters of the art and reports suggesting that Alexander-Arnold has already agreed to a Spanish switch exist to convince on-lookers that the deal is already done. But of course, it isn't. No contract has been signed and despite all the noise, the player himself has not once publicly said that he wants to leave Liverpool, even if he has stopped short of committing his future to the Premier League leaders.

Whilst there is no resolution, the Spanish press can say what they want, but it doesn't mean that are right. Until Alexander-Arnold signs a pre-contract deal or his current employees reluctantly agree to sanction a deal, he is a Liverpool player and a vital cog in a red machine that is once again fighting for honours on all four fronts.

Reports such as Marca's exist to try and destabilise the status quo. Will Liverpool fans turn on him? Why? He hasn't signed a new contract, but neither has Salah or Van Dijk. Anything could happen.

It is also completely feasible that Alexander-Arnold hasn't even made his mind up yet. After all, he holds plenty of cards in this deal and could have two different contracts in front of him to mull over. Don't worry about loyalty. That stopped being important in football years ago. The cold truth is that it's a business decision.

Steven Gerrard was once nailed on to joined Jose Mourinho's Chelsea but changed his mind at the last minute. Alexander-Arnold knows his own mind and only he knows for sure - not Marca - where his future will lie.

Until then we will have to continue to wait for that slick social video when everything is put right at Anfield. We hope.