Liverpool confident star will sign FOUR-YEAR contract

Liverpool are reportedly hopeful that they'll re-sign one star to a four-year contract.

Liverpool are in the middle of a contract nightmare, as you'll have heard. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk are all coming to the end of their respective deals.

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They're also arguably the three most important outfield players in the squad. They're helping the Reds march towards the Premier League title, hoping to pick up their second medal in the process.

But that could then be that. All three are able to discuss terms with non-English clubs right now and have been able to do so since January 1st.

The fact that none of them have actually signed with new clubs feels like a minor miracle, honestly. Liverpool, after all, are quite plainly struggling to agree terms.

For all three, the reasons why are clear as day. Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk are both comfortably over 30 now and into the years where a sudden decline can happen.

Some players are able to play until they're 40, yes, but the vast majority cannot. Most hit a wall instead, dropping their levels typically over a summer break and never recovering.

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Once a player turns 30, that decline is right around the corner. Liverpool are terrified of paying a lot of money to play in that decline.

Then there's Alexander-Arnold and a very, very different situation.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's contract

Liverpool aren't worried that Alexander-Arnold is in decline. The worry there is that he'd prefer to play for Real Madrid.

Los Blancos have not been secretive about their desire to sign Alexander-Arnold. All the usual Spanish outlets have pushed for the move and there's a reason they didn't sign a right-back in January.

Well, they tried to. Real Madrid offered a relatively small fee to Liverpool on New Year's Eve in an attempt to speed things along with the Scouser. The Reds rejected it.

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They rejected it for two reasons, too. Firstly, it just wasn't enough and the Reds stand to make far more in prize money from keeping Alexander-Arnold.

But they also remain hopeful that they can re-sign their vice-captain. The Liverpool Echo reports that the club still believes Alexander-Arnold could remain for 'the rest of his 20s'.

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That would mean a four-year contract for the player, who's now 26. Those years will be the rest of his prime - and Liverpool do want to ensure he spends them at Anfield.

Real Madrid will do what they can to tempt him away, of course. Both sides are hopeful, then, and decision time is increasingly close.

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