Liverpool stars WARNED: "Negotiating against Michael Edwards is a very difficult thing"

Three of Liverpool’s biggest stars could be leaving Anfield at the end of the season.

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Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold all have less than five months remaining on their contracts, and progress towards extensions seems to have stalled.

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The three stars have been almost ever-present for the Reds this campaign, and losing any of them would be damaging. Losing all three would be an absolute disaster.

That bleak possibility becomes more and more likely as the end of the season draws closer, but nothing is guaranteed yet.

Now, a lawyer who specialises in football transfers and contracts has given his insight into the ongoing contract saga unfolding at Liverpool.

The expert’s view on Liverpool’s contract negotiations

Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, sports lawyer Daniel Geey has revealed what could be going on behind the scenes at Anfield, and why no agreement has been reached with any of the out-of-contract trio yet.

Geey, author of the book ‘Done Deal: An Insider's Guide to Football Contracts, Multi-Million Pound Transfers and Premier League Big Business’, is about as familiar with the contract renewal process as one can be.

The expert shared that one of the biggest hurdles Liverpool will have to overcome in the renewal process is tension in the dressing room.

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If Liverpool offer the trio hugely inflated wages, then others in the squad will come knocking and demand wages comparable to their teammates.

“Liverpool have been paying these three players at an undervalue for the last 18 months or so,” Geey told The Overlap. “Whatever Salah was worth three years ago arguably it might be worth a lot more now in terms of his performance levels.”

Why might Liverpool be hesitant to extend

Although it may seem obvious to supporters that the trio should be kept at Anfield, there are a few things that might cause Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes to hesitate.

Generally, Liverpool have a reluctance to renew the contracts of players over 30 but exceptions have been made, for example for Jordan Henderson, and this could be a consideration for Salah, 32, and Van Dijk, 33.

Geey also points out that there is statistical evidence that suggests players overperform in the season of their contract renewal and tend to underperform in the season after. This could certainly be the case for Salah, who is enjoying one of his best seasons for Liverpool.

There is a lot for the Liverpool hierarchy to consider before signing their super stars to new deals, but the rebuild that would be needed if the trio were to leave would also come at a great cost.

Will Liverpool get deals done?

There are also interested third parties that could influence how the contract sagas play out over the next few months.

Real Madrid are the favourites for Alexander-Arnold, it looks almost inevitable that Salah will end up in Saudi Arabia if he moves on from Merseyside and there will undoubtedly be a queue of suitors for Van Dijk if he doesn’t extend.

Despite the outside interest, Geey’s comments will give supporters hope that their favourites could remain Reds beyond June.

“I wouldn't put it past them at all for Edwards and Ward and Hughes to be playing an absolute Blinder.

“It'll all be determined at the end of the season if they play well or not and win the league and Champions League.”

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Only time will tell how many, if any, of the Reds’ famous trio will be at Liverpool next season, but if Geey’s comments are anything to go by then there is still hope for the Anfield faithful.

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