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As things stand, all three of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave Anfield for nothing.

Intuitively, you'd imagine that does not involve letting high-value players leave for nothing, potentially impacting the club's future performance on and off the pitch.

That leaves the seemingly unlikely conclusion that FSG is making a calculated sporting call when it comes to the contract brinkmanship with Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold.

Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool?

Klopp might just about have won a power struggle with Edwards, but he was restored at the first opportunity, with a broader remit than ever before.

He has appointed Richard Hughes as sporting director, and together they will navigate the remaining months of this contract saga.

He will look at the data, and determine whether new deals for Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold are the best path for the club at the sums being demanded.

If the answer is no, then it will not be popular

Edwards and Hughes clearly have not capitulated to the demands of Salah, Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold and their agents, but nor have they slammed the door — they are simply negotiating on their own terms, within their own limits of what is and is not acceptable to pay.

Only the months and years ahead will show whether or not FSG has backed the wrong horse