Liverpool contract reality still clear regarding Trent Alexander-Arnold as talks to 'accelerate'

Trent Alexander-Arnold has already won everything there is to win with Liverpool and is living the dream of many a young Scouser around the city and beyond. Yet his contract situation is, right now, precarious .

Now inside the final 12 months of his existing deal, signed almost three years ago to the day, Alexander-Arnold is being eyed by Real Madrid. Liverpool sources have remained tight-lipped on what the future holds for Alexander-Arnold, but it can safely be assumed that talks will take place when the Reds' vice-captain returns from his holidays. And while the speculation mounts, there is simultaneously no suggestion that the player would want to entertain a departure.

In the meantime, however, Alexander-Arnold's trips away with Jude Bellingham are doing nothing to slow down the rumors that a move to Real Madrid could turn his head. In fairness, there is an appeal to playing at the Bernabeu where for a 25-year-old, another three 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 defending. It would be fair to say that in Spain, the focus might be more on his world-class passing range rather than a defensive ability that is far more scrutinized than Premier League peers including Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker.

If Liverpool does have to work harder to tie Alexander-Arnold down to a new contract in the next few months, it will be a problem of its own making. Alongside the number 66, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are also in need of new deals but the prospect of losing a homegrown talent who is substantially younger and approaching what should be his peak years for nothing is the most concerning.

Perhaps as a result of the ongoing disruption and changing of the guard in the sporting director role and then the fact that Jurgen Klopp was leaving — something known behind the scenes at Anfield since last November — meaning that talks over new deals would have to be put on hold (they would be difficult without the identity of the next head coach being known), things have moved further down the timeline that would be ideal.

Indeed, in most cases, a player entering their final 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 all been here before, for instance, and they aren't the only ones.

The idea that Liverpool could lose Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah all at once, though, let alone without a transfer fee, is simply unthinkable. The previous pattern cannot be allowed to continue in 2025; albeit, 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 has been keeping tabs on the situation for some time, it would rather pick up top players on a free than splash out on a transfer fee: just ask Mbappe and Alphonso Davies. In that sense, at least, the Liverpool plan is clear.

Alexander-Arnold has already spoken with Arne Slot over the phone and while the Liverpool head coach would not discuss it publicly, the position that he feels the Reds ace is best deployed in will almost certainly have come up in the conversation. How much of a say Alexander-Arnold privately wants to have on that is unclear but publicly, he has always maintained that he is happy to play wherever the team needs him the most — be that Liverpool or England.

That has not changed and neither has the fact that Alexander-Arnold wants to achieve his lifetime goal of becoming the Liverpool captain. He will have to wait until Van Dijk departs, of course, but there will be plenty of chances to wear the armband next season and it is inevitable that he will take on that duty permanently if he pens 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 conversations with his representatives are about to be "accelerated". Ultimately, though, until it is done — not least if he keeps being spotted with Bellingham — the speculation will persist.

The only way to shut it down is for an agreement to be reached over a long-term extension. That has been true for a while, of course, but with Alexander-Arnold due back in training when the team returns from its USA tour, negotiations are surely about to hot up.