It’s been one of the most intriguing subplots to Liverpool’s season so far.
As Arne Slot’s side have set a blistering pace both in the Premier League and the Champions League, the futures of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have remained unresolved.
All three have received contract offers from sporting director Richard Hughes but negotiations have dragged on and, from January 1, the trio will enter the final six months of their current deals and can officially speak to foreign clubs about a possible move on a free transfer in the summer.
The noise around Alexander-Arnold has ramped up over the past week with multiple reports in Spain claiming he’s on the brink of signing for Real Madrid.
The Athletic has spoken to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation to understand the current state of play surrounding Liverpool’s vice-captain.
How likely is it that Alexander-Arnold joins Real Madrid?
It depends on who you speak to.
Sources close to Real Madrid insist they are increasingly confident of signing Alexander-Arnold as a free agent once his contract expires in June.
The Athletic revealed in October that the reigning Spanish and European champions had made the England right-back their No 1 target following discussions with manager Carlo Ancelotti after the loss of Dani Carvajal to a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury.
Madrid were encouraged by the lack of progress in talks between Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold over a new contract. Sources close to Madrid state that since mid to late November, they have believed the 26-year-old has been leaning towards moving to Spain after making informal contact with the player’s camp.
Those same sources expect Alexander-Arnold, who has a close friendship with Madrid’s England international midfielder Jude Bellingham, to sign a pre-contract agreement with the Bernabeu club in January. They say a long-term deal of at least four years and a hefty signing-on fee have been proposed.
Bellingham, left, and Alexander-Arnold are good friends (Harry Murphy/Getty Images)
Spanish newspaper Marca claimed on Saturday that “Alexander-Arnold has already told Liverpool he wants to play for Real Madrid”, but senior Anfield figures are adamant that is not the case. Head coach Slot has made it clear that Liverpool still retain hope that he will stay with his boyhood club.
Fellow Spanish publication AS claimed that “the signing is 90 per cent complete… Trent has one foot in Real Madrid”. However, sources close to the situation on Merseyside have dismissed suggestions that an agreement between the player and the European champions is close and insist that, up to this point, Alexander-Arnold’s camp have had no formal discussions with any club other than Liverpool.
They say staying at Anfield remains a possibility as he prepares to make the biggest decision of his life, both from a professional and personal perspective.
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How significant is January 1?
It’s more of a symbolic date than anything else. The rules state that, from that moment, clubs from other countries can make an approach to a player who has entered the final six months of his current contract.
However, it would be naive to think that any suitor for Alexander-Arnold, Salah or Van Dijk would wait until the turn of the year to try to establish whether a move is possible and what the cost involved would be.
Speaking after Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Leicester City on Boxing Day, Slot said: “It’s clear that from January 1, maybe for you guys (in the media), things change a lot, but they are in constant talks with the club. Let’s wait and see what happens. As long as they keep performing like this, I’m happy.”
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Is there any chance Liverpool could sell Alexander-Arnold in this winter window?
That is highly unlikely. With Liverpool challenging for glory both domestically and in Europe at the moment, they won’t want to lose their influential vice-captain mid-season, even if the prospect of him leaving for nothing in the summer is looming large. If Alexander-Arnold goes on to play a starring role in Liverpool winning a 20th top-flight crown and/or a seventh European Cup, it would benefit the club more financially than accepting a cut-price fee before the window shuts on Monday, February 3.
It might be different if all the uncertainty was proving a distraction but Slot has been delighted by Alexander-Arnold’s form and focus.
His commitment to the Liverpool cause was underlined after the October international break, when he continued to play for the club despite suffering a side strain during England’s game in Finland. Conor Bradley, his deputy at right-back, was also injured at the time and Alexander-Arnold was determined to keep playing, and received painkilling injections before matches to manage the issue.
Alexander-Arnold is thoroughly enjoying his football under Slot and the player has no doubts that Liverpool will enjoy significant success under the Dutch coach, who succeeded Jurgen Klopp last summer.
“The level of detail he has, I find myself smiling about it because that’s the kind of thing that I really enjoy,” he recently told UK broadcaster Sky Sports. “It’s just football in a very, very in-depth level.
Alexander-Arnold has a strong relationship with Slot (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
“I could tell from the first time I met him that I was going to enjoy playing under him and being a part of this. I’m feeling like I’m going to get better and improve and learn so much in such a short space of time and just keep on learning, because I could tell he was football-obsessed and the level of detail was incredible.”
Alexander-Arnold also respects Hughes and Michael Edwards, the CEO of football for Fenway Sports Group, which owns the club. Liverpool’s decision to leave contract talks so late has clearly been a significant factor for Alexander-Arnold even to contemplate a move elsewhere. Still, there is an acknowledgement that his contract situation was inherited by Hughes and Edwards when they started in their new roles last summer, rather than created by them. Both executives have made an effort to protect the team and Slot during what could have been an awkward process. There is no sense of politics or briefing wars being in play.
What are the respective parties saying about his situation?
“Look, I have been at the club 20 years now. I have signed four or five contract extensions and none of those have been played out in public. And this one won’t be either,” Alexander-Arnold told reporters after Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth at Anfield in September.
He has stuck rigidly to that stance. While Salah and Van Dijk have since spoken publicly about their own contract situations and their wish to stay at Anfield, Alexander-Arnold has kept his counsel. Out of respect to his boyhood club, he believes the process should be conducted privately throughout — even if that leaves him open to criticism at times as the impasse continues.
After scoring the fourth goal in a 5-0 rout of West Ham United last Sunday, he celebrated by making a yapping gesture with his hand — a response to the recent intense speculation about his future.
Liverpool’s approach has been similar, with Slot repeatedly batting away questions about the contract status of his key trio. When asked about Alexander-Arnold’s hand gesture at West Ham, he told reporters: “I don’t think it’s negative at all. He’s playing really well, scored a great goal and the way he celebrated his goal probably tells you enough, so I don’t think I have to say much more about it.”
Hughes hasn’t spoken publicly since Slot’s unveiling at the club’s Kirkby training ground in July. It’s unclear how far apart the two parties have been financially in terms of what’s on the table and what is being sought.
Richard Hughes inherited Alexander-Arnold’s contract situation at Liverpool (John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
In the same interview in September, Alexander-Arnold said that he wanted to be “a Liverpool player this season” as a minimum. He also insisted the “main factor” in his decision would be the pursuit of trophies.
Since then, he has spoken of his desire to become the first full-back to win the Ballon d’Or, telling Sky Sports in October: “I want that legacy of being the greatest right-back to have played football. I have got to reach for the stars and that’s where I believe my ceiling can go.”
Who could replace him at Liverpool if he left?
Too soon to say. Certainly, trying to sign a like-for-like replacement would be almost impossible given the special skill set of Alexander-Arnold, who has scored 20 goals and contributed 84 assists in 333 appearances for the club, a period in which he has won virtually every major trophy and made himself one of the most coveted talents in world football.
However, Liverpool are blessed to have a gifted backup in Bradley. The 21-year-old Northern Ireland international already has 40 senior appearances for the club under his belt and has proved he can impact games at the highest level both offensively and defensively. Bradley is due back in action in January after a hamstring injury.
If Alexander-Arnold does leave, Hughes and Slot will need to decide whether to spend big on a high-profile successor or bring someone in to both compete with and ease the burden on Bradley.
What about Salah and Van Dijk?
The Athletic reported in early December that both players had received contract offers but no breakthroughs had been achieved as talks continued.
Their situations have always been viewed differently from that of Alexander-Arnold, given their greater ages and status as the club’s two highest earners. Liverpool have been reluctant to commit vast sums of money to long extensions for players seen as being in the twilight of their careers.
However, the contribution of both Salah and Van Dijk so far this season has served to underline the importance of retaining their services. Salah, who turns 33 in June, has been the most potent attacker across Europe’s five major leagues, with 20 goals and 17 assists in all competitions. Van Dijk is a year older than the Egyptian, but his powers also show no sign of waning. The Dutchman has been outstanding at the heart of Liverpool’s defence with Slot also praising the leadership he shows off the pitch.
Salah hasn’t been shy to use the media at times to crank up the pressure on the club. Asked by Sky Sports after the win over West Ham if he was able to provide some good news on the ongoing discussions, he said: “No. We’re far away from that. Nothing has really moved on. For now, the only thing on my mind is Liverpool winning the league and I want to be part of that.”
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Van Dijk has been more diplomatic when quizzed over his future but has made it clear that he believes he can continue playing at the highest level for another three or four years.
“I love the club, the club loves me,” he told broadcaster Amazon Prime before that Boxing Day game against Leicester. As with Salah, his preference is to stay at Anfield.
Nobody involved views January 1 as some kind of cut-off point. But the ongoing lack of clarity regarding three key personnel heading into the new year will provide encouragement to rivals eyeing the chance to try to prise them away.
Additional reporting: David Ornstein
(Top photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
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