With the new year upon us, three big-name Liverpool stars are now into the final 18 months of their contracts at Anfield (Transfermarkt). The first of those is centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who is yet to be tied down even though he was appointed club captain in the summer following the departure of Jordan Henderson.
The second is Trent Aexander-Arnold, who was named as Van Dijk's vice-captain in the off-season and came through the club's academy. It may not be long before other clubs start sniffing round if his deal continues to tick down.
And the third is Mohamed Salah, whose future looks by far the least certain after a giant offer worth £150m from Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad on transfer deadline day in September (Sky Sports). Liverpool, of course, rejected that bid, but it appears that the matter isn't closed.
New club emerges in Salah chase
Now, according to one journalist, a new, unnamed club in the Saudi Pro League have "joined the race" to sign Salah. While the team in question doesn't expect the 31-year-old to be available for transfer in January, they have "already started" contact with the player's camp to discuss the possibility of signing him in the summer.
It's also claimed that Salah "agreed personal terms" with Al-Ittihad last year, only to be denied the move by Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. That would appear to indicate his willingness to play his football in the Gulf nation.
The stats that show how "unbelievable" Salah has been this season
When assessing Salah's importance to Liverpool, it's natural just to look at the goals. Indeed, his double in the Reds' 4-2 win over Newcastle United last time out took him onto 14 for the season, level with Manchester City's Erling Haaland at the top of the Premier League's goalscoring charts.
He's now found the net 18 times for Klopp's side in 27 games across all competitions this season, exactly double the haul of his nearest challenger Diogo Jota. But we shouldn't forget the assists either.
Goals
18
Assists
8
Goals per 90
0.79
Mins per goal
114
Shots
66
Salah set-up a goal for Cody Gakpo against the Magpies to reach eight assists for the campaign, which saw him move into a three-way tie with Darwin Nunez and Trent Alexander-Arnold at the top of the club's leaderboard. No wonder, then, that analyst Josh Williams has called Salah a "joke" and the "ultimate attacker" (The Anfield Wrap), while pundit Gary Neville has sat back in awe at his "unbelievable" output (Sky Sports).
In a sense, the clearest illustration of Salah's value may be Liverpool's fortunes in his absence. After the win over Newcastle, he left to join his Egypt teammates at the Africa Cup of Nations. Depending on his country's progress at the tournament, he may not return to club action until mid-February, which, given his spectacular contribution this season, could have major ramifications in the Premier League title race.
If Liverpool's other attackers fail to pick up the slack during his absence, then perhaps it will strengthen the desire of Klopp and FSG to commit him to a new deal, even if it requires a record-breaking salary agreement.