The latest on Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino contract talks

There is undoubtedly an electrifying atmosphere full of enthusiasm around the Liverpool squad these days, as evidenced by the Carabao Cup celebrations at the weekend.

The work of Jurgen Klopp and his players so far this season has been excellent. Luis Diaz's arrival in January has helped to give further positive energy to the group.

Liverpool certainly feel stronger with an international top winger like Luis: the Colombian has been very humble, available and close to his new teammates from day one, and he has great respect for the club, Klopp and the whole squad.

The relationship with his teammates is really excellent, and this cannot be understated. It is never easy to settle at a top club like Liverpool, particularly in January - without a pre-season and everything that entails in terms of team bonding - beyond just tactical and fitness work.

Klopp is enthusiastic about Diaz and his ability to help Liverpool compete on all four fronts this season, including the Premier League and Champions League. In the latter, we see the difference between Liverpool and many other important clubs in Europe.

The boss was able to call upon the likes of James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson and Diaz in the second half and the quintet played a key role in earning a 2-0 win in the second half, which emphasises Klopp's ability to manage the balance in his dressing room and galvanise each member of the squad for the collective goal.

One certainty was definitively confirmed in the win against Inter: Ibrahima Konate is an excellent defender. Inside the Liverpool board, there is the belief that they have found a gem in the Frenchman, who was often underrated in comparison to his Leipzig teammate Dayot Upamecano, who has flattered to deceive at Bayern Munich thus far.

Konate was on Thomas Tuchel's list at Chelsea a year ago, but Liverpool were smart and quick to find an agreement on personal terms with Konate and his agents, paying the €35 million release clause.

"If someone wanted to buy Konate today, even double that fee would not be enough", is the comment that emerges in the circles close to the Liverpool board.

The club now remains busy planning for the next season and beyond. Whilst the focus is on the contracts situation - the club is also waiting to see if a deal for Fulham's Fabio Carvalho can be formally agreed upon following productive talks thus far between all the parties involved.

While the negotiations with Mohamed Salah and his agent are still underway with Liverpool, who have more and more urgency in wanting to reach a definitive agreement, concrete negotiations with Sadio Mane have not yet started.

The forward has just one year left to run on his current deal come the end of the season and Liverpool will have to carefully evaluate the management of the budget on the contracts for both him and Salah - and not forgetting Roberto Firmino too.

The priority within the club is to resolve Salah's situation as soon as possible, but Mane and Firmino are also awaiting the final proposals from Liverpool.

There is no need to specify it, but Jurgen Klopp's opinion is very clear on the topic of Salah: he is a world-class player, a star that Liverpool must try in every way to keep even for the future of the club.

Klopp is in no way involved in the negotiation of contracts and in the wages of the players, he observes situations with the utmost respect, but his opinion is always important and there is no doubt that Salah remains a decisive player in the strategies of the German manager and the Liverpool board. The question is purely economic.

Finally, the final decision for James Milner's contract is expected soon. Klopp was also very clear in public in confirming his intention to keep Milner in the project for the next season. Milner is considered a leader in the locker room and a player able to formidably deputise across a range of positions.

The board has prepared a contract until June 2023, but it is understood Milner's final decision will be dependent on other proposals he may receive for one of the last chapters of his excellent career.