Trent Alexander-Arnold true to his word over contract talks in major Mohamed Salah contraste

Liverpool is staring at the devastating reality of losing two of its key players next summer - Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah - and it seems only one of them will put pressure on the club in public.

"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."

Those were the words of Alexander-Arnold in September; three months on, no more has been said. There's been no public message to Fenway Sports Group, there's been no cryptic Instagram post or post-game interview calling for a new deal.

As things stand, the Liverpool right-back will be allowed to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs from January 1 ahead of leaving the club for free at the end of this season. That would represent a worst-case scenario for Liverpool, which has enjoyed its most successful period in decades with Alexander-Arnold in the team.

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Real Madrid is clearly Alexander-Arnold's most likely destination if he doesn't end up renewing at Anfield, and the Bernabeu perhaps has more pull than any other destination in world soccer; irrespective of the player's ties to Liverpool, he can't be blamed for considering joining the 15-times champion of Europe.

Salah and Virgil van Dijk find themselves in identical situations to Alexander-Arnold regarding their current deals at Liverpool. They will also be free to sign pre-contract agreements with overseas clubs in the new year, but, unlike their younger teammate, there is positive noise coming out of their camps regarding the possibility of them staying at Liverpool.

Van Dijk publicly stated his intention to remain with the Reds until at least 2026 during one of the international breaks earlier in the season, while Salah recently professed his love for the fans and declared there to be "no club like this".

Although nothing will be certain until their renewals are inked, the expectation is that both Salah and Van Dijk will be donning red next term.

As for Alexander-Arnold, the longer he remains silent on the issue of his future, the more likely it will appear that he is preparing to call time on his Liverpool career.