Liverpool is not willing to lose Trent Alexander-Arnold in the winter market. Despite Real Madrid's insistence and the right-back's refusal to renew, the 'reds', aiming for a historic season with Arne Slot at the helm, only have Conor Bradley as an alternative to '66'. The defender has raised some doubts with his performance in December, but the club trusts in his commitment to the team until June.
Arnold has full freedom to sign with any team since January 1, as his contract expires at the end of the 2024-25 season. Hence the urgency of the 'red' management to renew him, something that has not been possible due to the defender's insistence on asking for a significant salary increase. The England international currently earns around 10 million euros gross per season, making him the third highest-paid player in the squad behind Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, who also have contracts expiring on June 30.
ALEXANDER-ARNOLD AND LIVERPOOL DEFINE THEIR PRIORITIES
However, Trent believes he deserves a salary adjustment that is difficult for those in Merseyside to accommodate. In Madrid, he could easily double his current salary, provided he arrives at the Santiago Bernabéu as a free agent. What complicates this scenario is the 'merengue' need to sign a right-back in January, as Lucas Vázquez has shown countless times his inability to cover for the injured Dani Carvajal.
Madrid hoped to sign Alexander-Arnold for a much lower price than his current value (77 'kilos'), taking advantage of his contractual situation. However, both Liverpool and the player himself understand that the most sensible thing is to keep the core of the team intact to go for an unprecedented quadruple of titles in England. Afterwards, there will be time to discuss renewals and departures.
Arne Slot's team was crowned winter champions in the Premier League with a comfortable lead (7 points) over their closest rival. Additionally, they have a perfect record in the Champions League (6 out of 6) and are already in the 'semis' of the League Cup, as well as in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Given this situation, Madrid will have to look for another option for the right flank. Names like Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Ben White (Arsenal), and even Achraf Hakimi (PSG) are sounding on the 'merengue' radar, although Florentino Pérez insists on sticking with the current squad for the rest of the season.