Liverpool superstar Trent Alexander-Arnold is set for a U-turn in the long-running saga linking him with Real Madrid.
The England defender is out of contract at the end of the current season and heavily linked with a move to Los Blancos. Reports claim that Alexander-Arnold has rejected multiple offers from Liverpool, with Real Madrid free to open negotiations in January over a free transfer next summer.
Alexander-Arnold – ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the best right-backs in the world right now – is one of three Reds who could depart for free, too, with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk all with deals winding up at the end of the season.
Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold appears to have changed his mind
Alexander-Arnold has thrived so far under Arne Slot. The pair bonded early in the Dutchman's tenure, with Slot using his No.66 as the primary creative force in his side.
TEAMtalk have revealed that in a bid to keep Alexander-Arnold put, owners FSG have tabled a contract offer of £400,000-a-week – which would make him the highest-paid player in English football.
There now appears to be “genuine belief” that the 26-year-old will remain on Merseyside – a big U-turn from mere weeks ago, when Spanish outlet Relevo were among those claiming that Alexander-Arnold would depart for Madrid.
TEAMtalk relays comments from transfer expert and Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol, who claims that money is the decisive factor in Liverpool keeping their integral trio – suggesting that a record-breaking contract for Alexander-Arnold may well be enough to prevent his head from turning.
“I think it’s down to money and that one or two of those players may have very tempting offers from other clubs,” said Solhekol on Sky Sports News on Monday morning.
“We have to get real, I would think it’s almost impossible that Liverpool are going to lose all three of those players. I think almost certainly at least two of them will sign new contracts.
In FourFourTwo's opinion, this new contract offer could be the last from Liverpool's side of the table. Time will tell as to whether it's enough to keep Alexander-Arnold – though the desire to win a Ballon d'Or is said to be a defining factor in his interest in Real Madrid.
Alexander-Arnold is worth €70 million, according to Transfermarkt.
Losing Alexander-Arnold for free would be one of the biggest errors in the club's history, warns Liverpool expert, Matt Ladson
“How can you let not just three of our best players leave, but three all-time greats, in one summer,” one season ticket holder animatedly told FFT outside Anfield before the match against Aston Villa.
Supporter Brian James adds: “It would be farcical to allow any of them to go, never mind all three, and then let alone all of them for nothing! The owners need to sort it [out] or any goodwill towards them will be completely lost.”
For Liverpool to lose their local, homegrown hero, at age 26 in his absolute prime years, on a free transfer, would be one of the biggest failings in the club’s history. A PR nightmare for the owners.
“You know what, if Trent wanted to go and we sold him for £120 million and signed a couple of top class players, I could live with it,” one fan says. Most see it similarly; they wouldn’t begrudge Trent wanting to go and experience a new challenge, but for Liverpool to receive nothing in return would be negligent.
“We should be persuading him to sign a new contract with an agreement to let him leave for a fee next summer,” says one ambitious supporter. If only contract negotiations were so simple.
