Liverpool ace Trent Alexander-Arnold has pledged to keep his contract negotiations private, unlike his teammate Mo Salah, amidst ongoing speculation about a potential transfer to Real Madrid.
The 26-year-old, who is set to become a free agent at the end of this season as his current contract expires in June 2025, has finally spoken out on his future during a chat with Sky Sports.
Reigning Spanish and European champions Real Madrid have been consistently linked with capitalising on the situation by signing Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer, making him their top target for next summer.
The England defender can sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club from January 1 and in a recent interview with Sky Sports, Alexander-Arnold addressed the situation for the first time since it was reported that Madrid had made contact with Liverpool executives.
"I have been at the club 20 years now and I have signed four or five contract extensions... and none of those have been played out in public," he stated. "This one won't be either."
Alexander-Arnold isn't the only Liverpool star whose contract expires next summer.
Salah and Virgil van Dijk are also in the final seven months of their respective deals, with manager Arne Slot saying ahead of Saturday's clash with Fulham: "It doesn't worry me, we just accept the situation as it is. They play at a very good club and do very well at the moment."
"I work with a lot of quality players over here and Mo is definitely one of them. He is one that should score goals. He is also part of the reason we keep as many clean sheets as we do.
"We're going to face Fulham now. We should have a much better performance against them to get a result. You can only take points from these games if you have quality yourself. Against Arsenal, they only conceded from a set-piece."
Speculation around Salah's future has certainly been a hot topic, especially after he publicly stated last month that Liverpool hadn't yet offered him a new contract. However, Mirror Football reported last weekend that Salah is now close to signing a two-year extension.
As for Van Dijk, the Liverpool captain said in October: "Discussions are ongoing, we will see what happens in the future. My full focus is on Liverpool, wanting to win games that are ahead of me and nothing else.
"What the future will bring I have no idea at the moment. I can only tell you that discussions have started and we will see. When it's time to make a decision, you guys will know it as well."