With the January transfer window set to open in four days, Liverpool did not need another reminder regarding the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the futures of three of their star players. But on Saturday they sure enough got one, courtesy of the Spanish media.

Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah all remain out of contract at the end of the season and will be free to agree pre-contract agreements with overseas clubs from January 1.

Inevitably, speculation regarding Alexander-Arnold’s future is loudest. While both Van Dijk and Salah have publicly admitted they wish to stay at Anfield, the Reds vice-captain has been practically silent in comparison as he continues to be heavily linked with Real Madrid.

READ MORE: Ryan Gravenberch prompts Liverpool midfield rethink as Arne Slot faces fresh Diogo Jota dilemma

READ MORE: Ibrahima Konate makes Liverpool 'return' as staff left irritated by long Arne Slot talks

And on Saturday, Spanish outlet Marca ran a full front page claiming that the England international has now decided that he wants to move to the Bernabeu when his contract expires and has even informed Liverpool of his decision.

Cue mass hysteria. Or perhaps not. The ECHO understands that as things stand, Alexander-Arnold has not communicated to Liverpool that he has chosen to join Real Madrid.

Consequently, from an outside view at least, the full-back’s future remains up in the air ahead of the January transfer window opening and the first opportunity for a pre-contract agreement to be signed.

For his part, Alexander-Arnold has always insisted that he will not speak about his future in public out of respect for his boyhood club. But he has been clear that he wishes to see out the campaign with the Reds.

"I have always said I want to captain the club, that is an aim of mine and a goal of mine, (but) whether that happens is out of my hands," he said back in September.

"Look, I have been at the club 20 years now, I have signed four or five contract extensions and none of those have been played out in public. And this one won’t be either.

"I want to be a Liverpool player this season (as a minimum) is what I will say."

Fast-forward three months and that remains pretty much all he has said, beyond his own individual aspirations to win trophies and create a lasting legacy.

The day before Marca’s front page, The Telegraph reported that Liverpool remain relaxed about the contract situation of their three senior stars heading into 2025, ‘given all the indications remain that the stated preference of all three players is to commit to the club as they are continuing talks with the Anfield hierarchy’.

One can only assume that that did not garner the same mass media attention over in Madrid.

Free to discuss a contract with Alexander-Arnold from January 1, Real Madrid will surely up the ante in an attempt to get their desired target, with Marca, as has always been the case, part of such strategies.

Given the defender’s desire for discussions to remain in-house, it would be curious to know how he perceives the contrasting public saga over in Madrid. It is nothing new from the Spanish giants, after all, and something we have all seen many times before - most recently with Kylian Mbappe’s eventual Bosman transfer to the Bernabeu last summer.

But from a Liverpool point of view, no news is good news, with head coach Arne Slot revealing this week that constant discussions remain ongoing.

"If we would [have made any breakthroughs] then it's probably not the moment to tell you now," the Reds boss said ahead of his side’s trip to West Ham United on Sunday. "In general, I don't talk about contract situations here. It would be a surprise if I was the one to announce that one of them has extended.

"Keep asking, that's your job, but you're probably not going to get an answer from me. It's clear that from 1 January, maybe for you guys (media), things change a lot but they are in constant talks with the club and let's wait and see what happens. As long as they keep performing like this, the head coach is happy."

With Liverpool now six points clear at the top of the Premier League table, on the verge of sealing their place in the Champions League round of 16, and looking forward to a Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Tottenham Hotspur and opening their FA Cup at home to Accrington Stanley in the new year, the Reds are certainly happy.

If they can replicate their first half of the season in 2025, Alexander-Arnold would surely add to an impressive trophy haul that has already seen him win every major prize with his boyhood club.

The question then is what comes next. Is he satisfied with his Liverpool legacy and wanting to sample something new, or does he wish to add to it more and more and become the next Reds captain? Only time will tell.

If it proves to be the former, it will be curious to see when such a decision is made public. Liverpool found themselves in the same boat last year when managing Jurgen Klopp’s exit from the club - keeping it quiet for three months before being announced last January.

It surely will not be via the Spanish media, though, and certainly the day before another important match in the Reds’ Premier League campaign as they have the opportunity to extend their current seven-point lead even further.

Neither club nor player will wish to do anything that could risk disrupting their silverware hopes.

It is a credit to all parties that Liverpool continue to flourish under Slot despite this ongoing cloud of speculation. Until a definitive decision on Alexander-Arnold’s future is made public, such scrutiny is only going to grow.

The Spanish press will continue to speculate, but until ready to release a public statement, such flames will not be fanned further by either the player or the Reds.