Liverpool have emergency solution to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah transfer dilemma

Liverpool still have the chance to cash in on Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah before the January transfer window opens. The trio have recently entered the final year of their contracts, casting doubt over their futures at Anfield.

So long as they don't sign extensions, foreign clubs will be eligible to begin pre-contract talks with Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah over a free transfer in the summer from January 1. If they choose to run down their respective deals then the Reds will be forced to make a difficult decision.

Liverpool will have to decide whether they'd rather risk losing the trio for free at the end of the season or cut their losses and cash in. FIFA regulation 18.3, on the status and transfer of players, states: "A club intending to conclude a contract with a professional must inform the player's current club in writing before entering into negotiations with him.

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"A professional shall only be free to conclude a contract with another club if his contract with his present club has expired or is due to expire within six months. Any breach of this provision shall be subject to appropriate sanctions."

If Liverpool choose to cash in on Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk or Salah – which the Echo understands is unlikely – then the club only have a few more days to arrange a departure before a sale can't be made again until January. While the transfer window slammed shut in England, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Scotland on Friday, numerous clubs around the world are still free to sign players.

In Europe, the transfer window remains open in the Netherlands (September 2), Portugal (September 2), Belgium (September 6) and Turkey (September 13), among others too. In Asia, the transfer window remains open in Saudi Arabia (September 2) and Qatar (September 3).

In South America, the transfer window is still open in Brazil (September 2). While it's unlikely, Liverpool still have a few days to cash in on either Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk or Salah before they risk losing them on a free transfer.

In the event that they do run down their contract, a player can only enter pre-contract talks with interested parties outside of England. Any player, who only has a year left on their deal, looking to move from one English team to another, can only open talks after entering the final month of their previous contract.

That's because domestic transfers are regulated by national football associations, rather than the world governing body, FIFA. Earlier this month, Arne Slot was quizzed on the futures of Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk or Salah in an interview with Sky Sports.

"The only thing I have to do – this is what I do with all of them – is to bring the best out of them," said the Dutchman. "If we bring the best out of them, and they perform really well, then it's up to them if they want to sign, it's up to us [the club] if we give them a new contract."

Speaking to Sky Sports after Liverpool's 2-0 win over Brentford, Van Dijk insisted that he remains focused on the season. The Netherlands international said: "I'm very calm. The thing is, you know, I want to play the best season I can again. I want to be important and stay important for the club. Whatever happens next year I will see, you know, anything happen for a reason.

"That's how I see it. For now, there's been no changes in my situation, but I'm very calm about it, and there's no reason for me to start thinking for something else, because I have a whole season to play for still, and hopefully it will be a successful one."

As for Alexander-Arnold and Salah, the former has been linked with a move to Real Madrid while the latter attracted interest from the Middle East last year. In fact, the Liverpool Echo understands Al-Ittihad had a verbal £150m offer for the forward rejected.