Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has vowed not to let his contract saga play out in public like team-mate Mo Salah, amid continued rumours of a move to Real Madrid.
Alexander-Arnold, 26, is on course to become a free agent at the end of this season, as his current deal with the Reds expires in June 2025. Reigning Spanish and European champions Madrid have long been tipped to capitalise on the situation by signing Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer, making him their No.1 target for next summer.
The England defender is able to pen a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club from January 1 and in a new interview with Sky Sports, Alexander-Arnold has addressed the situation for the first time since Madrid were claimed to have made contract with Liverpool executives.
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"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 declared. "This one won't be either."
Alexander-Arnold isn't the only Liverpool star who's out of contract 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."
Should Trent Alexander-Arnold quit Liverpool to join Real Madrid? Have your say in the comments section.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool contract is due to expire next summer ( Image: Sergio Ruiz/Pressinphoto/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Talk around Salah's future has certainly taken up more column inches, having chosen to go public last month and tell reporters that Liverpool hadn't yet offered him a new contract. Mirror Football reported last weekend, however, that Salah is now on the verge of signing a two-year extension.
As for Van Dijk, Liverpool's 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."
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