Former Liverpool star Stephen Warnock has voiced optimism regarding Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future at Anfield, suggesting he could stay put beyond the current season.
Alexander-Arnold, a product of Liverpool’s own academy, is widely tipped to seal a move to Real Madrid when his contract runs out in June, with murmurs of a $15.5m yearly salary already sealed by the Spanish titans.
However, Warnock isn’t convinced it’s all set in stone. Speaking on BBC Football Focus, he reflected on the situation: “I still think there’s an opportunity where he could stay. I think there’s still that element where he’s almost going, ‘If you want me, you’re going to have to pay for me.’
“Because if you think of Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, their salaries are astronomical at the moment. Because Trent is a local lad, he won’t be on the type of money that they are on and he will be thinking, ‘Pay me what they’re getting paid.’
“And it might be a case of just closing that gap and (they are) able to make that happen.”
Nevertheless, Warnock highlighted the frustrations of the Liverpool faithful over the prospect of losing Alexander-Arnold for nothing: “But the other side of it is, what Liverpool fans are getting very frustrated by, is that he’s potentially going to leave on a free transfer.
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“This is a player that you got on a free transfer (from the club’s academy) who you haven’t paid a penny for and has given you eight incredible years at the club.”
Several sources suggest that Alexander-Arnold’s current contract with Liverpool is valued at approximately $11.6m per season, with Salah earning twice that amount and club captain Van Dijk pocketing slightly more than $14.2m. The 26-year-old England international has been with Liverpool since he was six, having joined the academy.
Whether Van Dijk or Salah will agree to new contracts with the club remains uncertain, despite being on the verge of clinching a second Premier League title under Arne Slot’s inaugural managerial campaign.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Mirror by clicking here.
