Liverpool’s expiring contracts and the issues beyond Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk

Contract negotiations have been a major storyline for Liverpool this season as the futures of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold remain unresolved.

Allowing three key players to run perilously close to free transfers has sparked ongoing debate since the start of the campaign. Liverpool’s priority may be chasing silverware but the short-term future of the squad relies on what happens next with the trio.

Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has helped build a strong squad in recent years but changes will be required in the months ahead. Last month, head coach Arne Slot said, “In the background, we are working on strengthening the squad for the summer. That would mean that, for the upcoming years, we could challenge for every trophy we are playing for.”

That means that decisions over the contracts of other players will soon come into focus as Liverpool decide which first-team members to keep or sell. Here, The Athletic looks at what the future might hold.

Which Liverpool players are out of contract in the coming years?

2025

• Mohamed Salah
• Trent Alexander-Arnold
• Virgil van Dijk

2026

• Andy Robertson
• Caoimhin Kelleher
• Ibrahima Konate
• Vitezslav Jaros

2027

• Alisson
• Wataru Endo
• Joe Gomez
• Kostas Tsimikas
• Diogo Jota
• Curtis Jones
• Luis Diaz
• Harvey Elliott
• Conor Bradley
• Trey Nyoni
• James McConnell
• Tyler Morton

Players contracted to 2028 and beyond

• Dominik Szoboszlai
• Alexis Mac Allister
• Federico Chiesa
• Cody Gakpo
• Darwin Nunez
• Jarell Quansah

Is this unusual?

There’s no doubt that the short-term issues — Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk — are extraordinary and rare cases that could have been handled better at an earlier stage.

Circumstances have not been favourable to Liverpool as this was all left to FSG CEO of football Michael Edwards and Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes when they were brought in to shape the post-Jurgen Klopp era last March.

That said, regardless of the managerial changes last summer and the subsequent restructure in the boardroom, FSG should not have let this happen to three of their top-performing and high-value players. Allowing Alexander-Arnold, a player in his prime at 26 years old, to enter the final months of his contract can only be put down to mismanagement.

The situation surrounding Salah, who will be 33 in June, and Van Dijk, 34 in July, is more complex given their age and how much value they can bring in the years ahead.

Contract renegotiations are a tricky part of football and finding the right balance between rewarding players for their performance while also protecting the business interests of the club can be difficult.

All three players have been offered lucrative extensions this season but talks have dragged on. With all sides keeping their counsel over the terms on offer, it’s hard to judge whether demands have been excessive or the offers unacceptable. For Alexander-Arnold, there’s the added complication of Real Madrid, who hope to sign him as a free agent this summer.

If Liverpool can successfully navigate this tricky period and limit the damage to perhaps losing just one key player, then the subsequent rebuild should not be as difficult.

Other important decisions will need to be made soon — the restructuring of the goalkeeping department and the future of the defence the most prominent — but they can be carefully thought out without the pressure of immediate action.

Caoimhin Kelleher is out of contract next summer and is highly unlikely to sign an extension. The goalkeeper has made no secret of his desire to become a No 1 and was keen to leave last summer but Liverpool didn’t receive any suitable offers for a player they value in excess of £20million. With Giorgi Mamardashvili arriving to compete with Alisson in the summer, Liverpool need to decide whether to move on Kelleher for a big transfer fee or risk losing him for nothing in 2026.

The situation around Ibrahmia Konate, however, is not up for debate. Top clubs across Europe continue to keep a close eye on any developments but Liverpool insist the French centre-back is part of their long-term plans. At 25, his best years should be ahead of him. A contract was offered late last year and talks have been ongoing.

Strengthening further at centre-back is part of the thinking for the next transfer window, as is finding a new left-back to compete with Andy Robertson, playing in his eighth season at Liverpool but out of contract in 2026.

Giorgi Mamardashvili will become a Liverpool player ahead of next season (Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

What is the club’s approach to contract renewals?

FSG runs Liverpool as a self-sustainable business and its decision-makers are reluctant to commit vast sums of money to players in the twilight years of their career.

They also prefer highly incentivised contracts that reward performance through bonuses. For example, Salah is the club’s highest wage-earner with a basic weekly salary above £350,000 ($440,000), but he earns significantly more through the bonuses he triggers. Van Dijk, Alisson and Alexander-Arnold are the next highest earners, with their deals worth more than £200,000 per week.

Each contract is carefully judged on merit but some exceptions are made. Liverpool have moved on Joel Matip, Thiago, Roberto Firmino, James Milner and Sadio Mane in recent years, and also allowed Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to leave when attractive offers came in from Saudi Arabia.

The restructure last summer means that Hughes has taken on the day-to-day duties at Liverpool. He is the point of contact for players and their representatives, updating Edwards with any movements, which are then presented back to the FSG board.

Since replacing FSG president Mike Gordon, Edwards has been looking into multi-club model opportunities and only gets involved with Liverpool for major financial decisions. When the club generate money, it’s up to Hughes and Edwards to decide how it is reinvested.

Slot also has a major say in who he wants in his squad — although, as a head coach, he is not as deeply involved as former manager Klopp had been.

What are we hearing about specific players?

Left-back Robertson has featured in all but one of Liverpool’s Premier League games this season and has started 11 of the last 12 — a clear sign of his ongoing importance.

The Scot may not have hit the heights of previous seasons but his experience and know-how are crucial. If Liverpool find a young left-back with the potential to be a long-term replacement — Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, 21, is admired, for example — then Robertson, 30, can still play a part in the years ahead.

His contract expires in the summer of 2026 and Robertson is in no rush to leave. A short-term extension is plausible. Finding a buyer for Kostas Tsimikas is more likely than moving on Robertson.

Then there’s the continued debate around Luis Diaz, whose versatility has been praised by Slot. Barcelona are known admirers but there are doubts over whether they could stump up the fee to convince Liverpool to sell. As he enters the final two years of his contract, Liverpool must decide whether they want to commit to an expensive extension beyond 2027.

Luis Diaz’s Liverpool contract expires in two and a half years (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

Decisions over the long-term futures of Diogo Jota, Wataru Endo, Joe Gomez and Harvey Elliott are complex, too.

Jota is the best finisher at the club and Slot enjoys working with him because of his all-round contribution, but his injury record remains a concern. If Liverpool can find a buyer for Darwin Nunez, that would significantly boost the budget. There was strong interest in the Uruguayan forward from the Saudi Pro League in the January window. Liverpool weren’t prepared to sanction a sale mid-season but a parting of the ways could suit all parties come the summer.

Endo was signed 18 months ago as a stop-gap in midfield and he’ll be 34 when his contract expires, so extended terms are unlikely.

The same applies to Gomez, who signed a long-term deal a few years ago knowing it would most likely be his last one. Age is on his side — he’ll be 30 when his contract expires — and his versatility is appealing, but there’s no rush to tie him down for any longer. Liverpool’s longest-serving player came close to leaving last summer when a fee was agreed with Newcastle United as part of a move that would have seen Anthony Gordon go the other way, but the north-east club pulled the plug on those deals.

His situation is complicated further by his recovery from hamstring surgery. He is expected to be missing until the latter stages of the season.

Elliott, meanwhile, dismissed talk of being unsettled in January when he was linked with moves away to Borussia Dortmund and Brighton, but his game time has remained limited. He will need to assess his prospects over the summer.

Conor Bradley is in line for a new deal but is better positioned to wait until Alexander-Arnold’s situation is resolved.

Will the volume of possible contract renewals affect transfer budgets?

It’s too early to say just how much of an impact any potential renewals will have because that depends largely on what happens with Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold.

If Liverpool need to replace all three of these key players, they will have to set a huge amount of money aside to fund the rebuild. Likewise, if one, two, or even all three of those players stay, they will be signing on huge terms, which will add to an already growing wage bill, expected to be confirmed in the next set of official accounts.

As the money is all coming from the same pot, it should be noted that an increased wage bill will inevitably reduce the amount of money available to spend on transfers.

Liverpool’s financial position is improving, though.

When figures for the Deloitte Football Money League were announced last month, it showed that total revenue was up to around €714million (£600m; $750m) for 2023-24, an increase on the previous season, which had stood at €683m. Much of that was down to a €45m increase in commercial revenue and a €29m boost to matchday revenue, helped by the opening of the new Anfield Road Stand. A €42m drop in broadcast revenue, however, highlighted a missed opportunity after Liverpool failed to qualify for the 2023-24 Champions League.

The return to the elite-level European competition this year should significantly increase the club’s revenue. Liverpool are already set to bank at least €100million in Champions League prize money, with a further €56.5m to play for. Add in the start of a new kit deal with Adidas and the impact of record-breaking matchday revenue and it’s clear why the figures next season should look even more favourable.

That should then give the club the freedom to stretch the wage bill even further while remaining competitive in the transfer market.

(Top photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images)