Liverpool boss Arne Slot and Trent Alexander-Arnold, inset. Pictures: Getty ImagesLiverpool boss Arne Slot and Trent Alexander-Arnold, inset. Pictures: Getty Images
Liverpool boss Arne Slot and Trent Alexander-Arnold, inset. Pictures: Getty Images | Liverpool boss Arne Slot and Trent Alexander-Arnold, inset. Pictures: Getty Images
Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly agreed personal terms with Real Madrid.
It appears that the outcome many feel has been inevitable will indeed come to fruition.
Given the fact that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future has been precarious for months, more and more Liverpool fans have been preparing for his departure. Alexander-Arnold is in a different position to Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah, whose respective contracts also expire at the end of the season.
Alexander-Arnold is 26 and in the prime of his career. While van Dijk and Salah have been majestic during the Reds’ charge towards the Premier League title this season, they are aged 33 and 32. Their respective careers are starting to reach the home straight. There may be suitors but few, if any, will be an upgrade on Liverpool.
Contrastingly, Alexander-Arnold has had a concrete option hovering for a significant period. Any player would find the bright lights of Real Madrid difficult to turn down. Los Blancos are the biggest club in the world and only a select number get the chance to pull on the famous white jersey. No-one is denying it can be hard to turn down.
Yet sections of Kopites are finding it difficult to palate that Alexander-Arnold is reportedly on the cusp of a free transfer. The right-back has won every major trophy with his boyhood club and has previously spoken about his desire to be a future captain. Instead, it seems that Liverpool will not get a penny from Alexander-Arnold departing Anfield to join another European superpower, with reports suggesting he has now agreed a contract.
There is no doubt that the Reds have been planning for Alexander-Arnold to potentially depart. They will need a replacement should he head to Madrid. Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield in a deal that could be worth £33 million, while Flamengo youngster Wesley is another supposedly on the radar.
However, head coach Arne Slot might have already hinted at his plans to fill the void. Conor Bradley is highly regarded by Liverpool and has been magnificent since breaking into the first-team fray. He took his chance while Alexander-Arnold was injured last season and made a total of 23 appearances, scoring once and creating six. While Bradley has been deputy to Alexander-Arnold for the most part this term, he has still played 22 times and regularly come off the bench in the pursuit of the Premier League crown.
In truth, the Northern Ireland international has more than enough quality to be an out-and-out starter in his own right. And speaking in October, Slot suggested that Bradley would force his way into the line-up over time. The Dutchman said: “I think it's going to be a bright future for him because he's a very good player and very good players [are] what we need here at Liverpool.
“He's done – last season especially – really well when he had to replace Trent, and now Trent has played a lot. But he is a very good player and although he has big competition from Trent, normally very good players find their way into the team. That's what I also expect with him in the future at this club.”
However, given that Bradley could be Liverpool’s only senior right-back, another addition is likely. Slot will want two options who can be rotated with the Reds set to again be competing on four fronts in the 2025-26 season.
Related topics:Arne SlotTrent Alexander-Arnold
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