Liverpool transfer news as reports suggest Trent Alexander-Arnold has agreed personal terms with Real Madrid.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has agreed personal terms with Real Madrid, it has been claimed.
The Liverpool vice-captain’s future has dominated the headlines throughout the season. That is despite the Reds being on their way to emphatically lifting the Premier League title as they currently sit 12 points clear at the top of the table.
Alexander-Arnold, along with fellow key players Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah, is out of contract at the end of June. The right-back’s situation is different to his team-mates, however, as he is a homegrown player and hails from the city. Alexander-Arnold has come through Liverpool’s academy ranks to win every trophy possible with his boyhood club. Yet as things stand, he faces leaving the Reds on a free transfer.
Real Madrid have been strong admirers of the 26-year-old and even had an enquiry rebuffed before the January transfer window opened. But there has been a growing feeling that Alexander-Arnold will depart Anfield at the culmination of his deal and move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Certainly, several Spanish reports have suggested that will be the case.
However, it is now claimed that Alexander-Arnold has thrashed out contract details. According to Sacha Tavolieri for Sky Sport Switzerland, the England international will move to Los Blancos on July 1 and sign a five-year deal. It is suggested that he will earn a salary of 15 million euros at Real - supposedly four million euros more than his current Liverpool deal.
It is claimed that Liverpool have ‘repeated attempts to reopen negotiations’ but Alexander-Arnold’s mind to join Real has been made up. The report states: “On January 22, our exclusive information indicated that, although Trent Alexander-Arnold remained focused on Real Madrid, there was still no agreement on personal terms between the Madrid management and his representatives.
“That's now a done deal! An agreement in principle was reached in recent weeks and, despite Liverpool's repeated attempts to reopen negotiations, the hope of extending his contract on the banks of the Mersey has faded. Now, nothing will be able to change the Englishman's mind. Trent Alexander-Arnold will therefore be joining Europe's most successful club. It's confirmed.”
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has been tight-lipped over the futures of Alexander-Arnold, captain van Dijk and talisman Salah. Speaking in January, the Dutchman said: "I speak to them a lot. It would be ridiculous if we had never spoken about the future. But that is not something I am going to discuss with you. It is not only with the three who are out of contract. It's a non-stop process talking to your players.”
However, recent reports have suggested that the Reds are starting to look at replacements for Alexander-Arnold, with Conor Bradley the only other senior option at the club. Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong has been heavily linked, with suggestions in Germany that Slot has been in touch with his fellow countryman. Frimpong is one of the stars at Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso and helped the club claim the Bundesliga title for the first time in history last term.