Liverpool contract reality still unclear on Trent Alexander-Arnold as ‘speed up’ talks

Trent Alexander-Arnold has already won everything there is to win with Liverpool and is living the dream of many young Scousers across the city and beyond. However, his contract situation is currently precarious.

Now in the final 12 months of his existing deal, signed almost three years ago, Alexander-Arnold is being watched by Real Madrid. Sources at Liverpool have remained tight-lipped about what the future holds for Alexander-Arnold, but it’s safe to assume that talks will take place when the Reds’ vice-captain returns from holiday. And while speculation is mounting, there is also no suggestion that the player wants to agree to a move away.

Meanwhile, however, Alexander-Arnold’s travels with Jude Bellingham are doing nothing to slow down rumors that a move to Real Madrid could turn his head. In fairness, there is an appeal to play at the Bernabeu, where for a 25-year-old, three more Champions League trophies before the end of his career would be as good as guaranteed.

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Real Madrid can offer mega wages, the chance to play alongside Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior and a break from the relentless debate surrounding Alexander-Arnold’s defence. It would be fair to say that in Spain, the focus may be more on his world-class passing range, rather than a defensive ability that is much more scrutinized than Premier League peers including Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker .

If Liverpool have to work harder to tie Alexander-Arnold down to a new contract in the next few months, it will be a problem of his own making. Alongside the No.66, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk also need new deals, but the prospect of losing a home-grown talent who is substantially younger and approaching his prime for nothing is the most worrying .

Perhaps as a result of the continued disruption and changing of the guard in the sporting director role and then Jurgen Klopp leaving — something known behind the scenes at Anfield since last November – meaning that talks of new deals would have to be put on hold (it would be difficult without the identity of the next head coach being known), things have moved on in the time frame which would be ideal.

Indeed, in most cases a player entering the last 12 months at Liverpool without signing a new deal would be heading for the exit door. Gini Wijnaldum, Roberto Firmino, Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip have been here before, for example, and they are not the only ones.

The idea that Liverpool could lose Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah all at once, however, let alone without a transfer fee, is simply unthinkable. The previous pattern cannot be allowed to continue in 2025; although in each of these cases the circumstances are different.

It was already known that Alexander-Arnold would not be leaving this summer – sporting director Hughes made that clear during his introductory press conference a few weeks ago – and even if Real Madrid have been considering the situation for some time, they would prefer to pick players top flight with a free fee rather than paying a transfer fee: ask Mbappe and Alphonso Davies. In this respect, at least, Liverpool’s plan is clear.

Alexander-Arnold has already spoken to Arne Slot on the phone and, although the Liverpool head coach did not want to discuss it publicly, the position he believes the Reds ace is best deployed in will almost certainly come up in the conversation. How much Alexander-Arnold wants to have to say privately about this is unclear, but publicly he has always maintained that he is happy to play wherever the team needs him most – be it Liverpool or England.

That hasn’t changed, and neither has Alexander-Arnold’s desire to achieve his lifelong goal of captaining Liverpool. He will have to wait until Van Dijk leaves, of course, but there will be plenty of chances for him to wear the armband next season and it is inevitable that he will take up the role permanently if he signs a new deal.

The ECHO reported this week that sorting out a new contract for Alexander-Arnold will be the priority when the player returns from his summer break and talks with his representatives are set to be “accelerated”. Ultimately, though, until it’s over — not least if he’s still seen with Bellingham — speculation will persist.

The only way to close it is to reach an agreement for a long-term extension. This has been true for some time, of course, but with Alexander-Arnold back in training as the squad returns from their US tour, negotiations are sure to heat up.