Real Madrid are reportedly ‘on the verge’ of securing a deal to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold after a Liverpool plan initiated over two years ago ‘backfired’, according to a report.
Alexander-Arnold is one of three Liverpool superstars in the final year of their respective contracts. The others are Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah. The Reds are at risk of losing all three to free agency and Alexander-Arnold has a confirmed admirer in the form of Real Madrid.
According to a fresh update from The Sun, Liverpool’s ultra-creative right-back is closer to joining Real Madrid than is being reported elsewhere.
They described Alexander-Arnold as being ‘on the verge’ of a ‘Real Madrid move.’ Explaining why, it was suggested the influence of Jude Bellingham – a close personal friend of Alexander-Arnold – is set to prove pivotal.
The pair have struck up a genuine friendship over the past few years and per the report, it all began when Liverpool tasked Alexander-Arnold with attempting to cajole Bellingham into signing for Liverpool over two years ago. The Reds’ aim at that time was to overhaul their ageing midfield in the summer of 2023 and Bellingham was their No 1 target.
However, fast forward to the present day and not only did Bellingham reject Liverpool in favour of signing with Real Madrid, but The Sun state he could now be a deciding factor in luring Alexander-Arnold to The Bernabeu too.
Real Madrid are reportedly ready to step up their interest on the back of Dani Carvajal suffering a season-ending ACL injury. A January move has been speculated, though The Sun state a free agent swoop in the summer is more to Real Madrid’s liking.
Is it really all over for Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold?
While The Sun’s claim Bellingham could help swing a deal for Alexander-Arnold Real Madrid’s way is valid, there is little in their report to suggest an agreement is ‘on the verge’ of being struck.
A separate report from Football Insider stated Liverpool are ‘hopeful’ their vice-captain will pen fresh terms and stay.
We understand a bumper new deal that would bring Alexander-Arnold close to Mohamed Salah as Liverpool’s highest earning player will be offered. Sources state the Reds are calm and confident Alexander-Arnold will sign the offer.
Alexander-Arnold currently earns around £180,000-a-week, while Salah pockets roughly £350,000-a-week. As such, Alexander-Arnold is seemingly in line to almost double his already significant salary if staying put.
Nonetheless, we can confirm the threat of Real Madrid is genuine and the LaLiga giant hold genuine aspirations of signing Alexander-Arnold.
While Liverpool may well be confident they’ll thrash out a new deal, they cannot rest easy with such a powerful suitor waiting in the wings.
New Mo Salah suitor / Liverpool’s Cole Palmer plan
In other news, ambitious MLS side San Diego FC are reportedly ready to make an audacious attempt to sign Mohamed Salah.
Elsewhere, Liverpool are among three high-powered Premier League sides believed to be taking a look at Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo. The others are Newcastle and Tottenham.
Finally, Gary Neville has suggested Liverpool will attempt to neutralise Cole Palmer in their next Premier League clash with Chelsea by roughing him up.
“I always think that Anfield is the toughest place to get space,” Neville began.
“And you think about how Cole Palmer plays, and the way he always looks like he’s got time on the ball, it’ll be interesting to see how he does at Anfield and how Liverpool will attend to him.
“[They will] be really aggressive against him and test him. They won’t want to let him have any joy in the game and encouragement early on. Anfield can be a place where you can get bullied a little bit, off the crowd, the atmosphere.”
Neville added: “I always remember when I went to Anfield [as a player], I think it’s the toughest place to go. And I think for a Chelsea team under [Enzo] Maresca, it’s a real challenge for them. And it will be interesting to see how they fare in that.”
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