Liverpool will be on the lookout for a new right-back this summer should Trent Alexander-Arnold leave the club on a free transfer, with Arne Slot needing more back-up to existing option Conor Bradley
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18:59, 01 Apr 2025
Andrei Ratiu
Liverpool could replace Trent Alexander-Arnold with Rayo Vallecano star Andrei Ratiu, who has tested himself against the likes of Vinicius Jr this season
Liverpool may have found a potential replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold after identifying Andrei Ratiu, who has a release clause of just £21million. The Reds are bracing for the exit of their academy star as he approaches the end of his contract, with no agreement for a new deal expected.
The England international looks set to join Real Madrid on a free transfer and Liverpool will have to move quickly to replace him if they want to dominate English football should they win the Premier League this season as expected.
Romanian defender Ratiu has emerged as a transfer target for Liverpool after some impressive displays for Rayo Vallecano in La Liga this season - helping the team push towards an unlikely European spot. They currently sit seventh in the table. However, Liverpool may have competition in their pursuit of Ratiu, with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City also said to be interested in the player.
German outlet Bild have claimed Ratiu will be available at a cut-price fee of just £21m this summer, thanks to his release clause. But another spanner in the works is that Villarreal have a buy-back clause of just £6m - and they'll also get 50 percent of the transfer rights.
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Ratiu has started 26 times in La Liga this season, testing himself against stars like Barcelona's Raphinha and Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr - so he would have little trouble adapting to the pace and quality of the Premier League.
He has only missed two of Rayo's 29 league games, with two goals and three assists so far. The club are pleased with his progress so far and hope to keep him but are realistic about his future and aware that a rival team could pay his release clause.
Rayo's sporting director David Cobeno said: "We are very happy with Andrei here. The motto is always the same: whoever wants him has to pay his release clause.
Arne Slot and Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold is widely expected to join Real Madrid this summer
'We're very confident about the future. Time will tell whether he stays with us or whether someone else pays his release clause.'
There has been little news on Alexander-Arnold's future but reports last week claimed the Spanish giants were closing in on a deal to bring him to the Bernabeu.
If Slot cannot secure a deal for Ratiu, there should be plenty of alternatives to cast his eye on. Other right-backs that have been linked with Liverpool are Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong and Freiburg player Kiliann Sildillia.
Slot could also place his faith in another academy graduate in Conor Bradley, who has shown he is capable of playing at the top level on plenty of occasions.
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