FSG sent warning about Sadio Mane 'repeat' as triple Liverpool contract decision looms

Liverpool and its owner, FSG, have been warned that securing the futures of Mohamed Salah , Virgil van Dijk , and Trent Alexander-Arnold will come at a significant cost . According to former striker Dean Saunders, there is a very good chance that Alexander-Arnold will join Real Madrid on a free transfer next summer.

With Van Dijk, Salah, and Alexander-Arnold entering the final stages of their contracts, they will be eligible to negotiate pre-contract agreements with clubs outside of England starting January 1. This puts Liverpool at risk of losing all three players as free agents at the end of the current season as well as there being disruption in the second half of Arne Slot's debut campaign.

Contract talks are ongoing, but progress has been slow, and Saunders is worried about the lack of developments regarding three crucial players for the current Premier League leader. Saunders, who won the FA Cup with Liverpool in 1992 after joining for a then-record transfer fee, believes the club must invest heavily to retain Van Dijk, Salah, and Alexander-Arnold. He also expressed surprise at Sadio Mane's departure to Bayern Munich in 2022.

"My biggest worry for Liverpool is if they lose Trent, Van Dijk and Alisson," Saunders told bettingexpert.com . "They're the best three players in the team, and it'll be difficult to replace them.

"So they need to give them the money. Money talks. I was surprised they let Mane go. I would have offered him what he wanted. If you want to win the league, you've got to put your hand in your pocket.

"Trent can get £300k a week from someone else like Real Madrid. Don't be surprised if you see him at Real Madrid. If other clubs are willing to pay the wages and Liverpool want to win the league, they've got to say here's the money."

Liverpool boasts the most formidable backline in the Premier League this term, conceding a mere two goals across seven matches, and Saunders believes that Slot is spoilt for choice in the heart of defense.

Saunders went on to say: "When you're a big club you've got to have players who know their place and won't let you down through attitude. (Ibrahima) Konate is a great player and Van Dijk is a Rolls Royce of a player.

"Slot has (Jarell) Quansah, (Joe) Gomez and Konate to choose from and I think all three are really good. Konate is great, Quansah could be a great player and Gomez is a good player. He can come in and his attitude will be spot on."

Liverpool.com says: Even just looking at this from a purely economic point of view, it makes sense to sign, say, Salah up to a new deal and then sell him for a fee at some point before that contract expires, rather than losing him for nothing. Letting any of the trio leave for free would mean missing out on millions of dollars that could be reinvested.