What next for Trent Alexander-Arnold?
It’s the question that has been asked all season – and now the Liverpool right-back is officially allowed to talk to clubs from abroad, the noise will only get louder.
The 26-year-old is, as most football fans will surely know by now, out of contract this summer and being heavily linked with a free-transfer move to Real Madrid when his deal expires.
The silence around his future from both clubs and the player himself remains deafening, despite countless newspaper headlines, but there is undoubtedly a lot going on in the background.
Former England striker Gary Lineker, who moved to Barcelona from Everton in 1986, told the Rest is Football podcast he could understand it if Alexander-Arnold opted to move to the Bernabeu.
He said: “Trent would love it there. They will worship him, they will appreciate his incredible passing range.”
But what is the situation at the moment, what do the fans think and how much would Liverpool miss him?
What is the latest on Alexander-Arnold’s situation?
Like Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold is into the final six months of his contract at Liverpool.
But while Salah and Van Dijk have provided snippets of information about contract talks, Alexander-Arnold has been tight-lipped.
In September, he said negotiations over a new deal would not be played out in public but since then has been linked with moves elsewhere.
Sources recently said there had been an approach – but no offer – from Real Madrid about signing Alexander-Arnold in January, which Liverpool rebuffed.
Spanish media also reported Real were willing to buy the England international this month but are more likely to sign him on a pre-contract agreement for the summer.
‘He is close to Bellingham’ – a move that makes sense?
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jude Bellingham are England international team-mates
Alexander-Arnold has given years of service to Liverpool, helping them win the Premier League and Champions League.
However, with the full-back in the prime of his career, it would be easy to understand if he wanted to pursue a fresh challenge and a move to Real Madrid would make sense.
“He is really close with Jude Bellingham, as we saw in the summer,” added Lineker.
“He is a wonderful footballer, he would fit in beautifully and would be a massive success. They wouldn’t focus on his defending – which we overly do here.
“I did the move myself to Spain and playing for Real or Barca is truly special. However strong and rich the Premier League is, the world’s greats still go to Barca and Real Madrid.”
Former England and Newcastle striker Alan Shearer said: “He has won everything at Liverpool.
“Put yourself in Trent’s position, after achieving everything at Liverpool then being asked to play for Real Madrid and make an absolute fortune… You can’t knock him for that at all.
“I hope there won’t be any hard feelings because he has been a great player for them.”
How important is Alexander-Arnold to Liverpool?
Alexander-Arnold has been at Liverpool since he was six so any decision to leave Anfield would be a significant one for both him and the Reds.
He made his breakthrough in the 2016-17 campaign and has been a mainstay of the first team ever since, regularly playing more than 40 games a season.
Only Mohamed Salah (1,586) and Ryan Gravenberch (1,560) have played more minutes than Alexander-Arnold (1,317) this season, underlining how important he is to Slot.
The Reds would not only miss his reliability in defence but also his contribution to their attack.
No Liverpool player has created more chances than Alexander-Arnold’s 36 – level with Salah. That includes four assists – second only to Salah, who has a stunning 13.
Bradley a ready-made replacement for Alexander-Arnold?
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Conor Bradley put in a standout performance for Liverpool against Real Madrid in the Champions League in November