It’s been clear for some time now that Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s future lies away from Anfield, so the widespread reports that emerged during the international break that said he is set to join Real Madrid in the summer should have come as little surprise.
Madrid has made a habit of signing high-profile free agents in recent years, with Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba and Kylian Mbappe all moving to the Bernabeu after allowing their contracts with their previous clubs to run down, and Alexander-Arnold has been monitored by the Spanish giant for the last couple of years.
Plenty of Liverpool fans are displeased with Alexander-Arnold for being on the brink of leaving, and one of the reasons for that is that, by running his Anfield contract down, the Reds will not receive a penny for a player who has a market value of $82 million.
Instead of Liverpool receiving a fee, it is Alexander-Arnold who stands to benefit most from the deal, as he will receive an eight-figure signing-on bonus in the Spanish capital, which will be paid on top of his $280,000-a-week basic wage.
Alexander-Arnold is currently nursing an ankle injury and hasn’t played for Liverpool since the latest reports about his expected move to Madrid emerged, so we are yet to see what kind of reaction he will receive from the Reds’ match-going supporters.
The reaction online has been largely negative, but social media is rarely representative of real life and X, in particular, can be a cesspit for soccer takes.
Alexander-Arnold has not addressed his future publicly since September, when he responded to a question about his future by saying: “I want to be a Liverpool player this season [as a minimum] is what I will say. I have been at the club 20 years now. I have signed four or five contract extensions and none of those have been played out in public – and this one won’t be either.”
(Image: Getty Images)
That comment came after Liverpool’s fifth Premier League game of the season, a home win over Bournemouth, and seven months have passed without a further update.
For a homegrown player whose future has been the subject of intense speculation throughout that period, that is a very, very long time, and, frankly, it’s pretty obvious that he would have said something by now if he intended to stay.
Virgil van Dijk has always seemed like the most likely of the three players whose contracts are up in June to renew, and he has addressed his future on a number of occasions throughout the campaign.
Most recently, he said in the Craven Cottage mixed zone on Sunday that progress has been made in talks over a renewal. Asked about his contract situation after the 3-2 defeat by Fulham, Van Dijk replied: “There is progress, yeah.”
Pushed on the details of those talks and whether he’ll stay beyond the end of the season, the Dutchman said: “I don’t know, we’ll see. These are internal discussions and we’ll see… I love the club and I love the fans.”
Alexander-Arnold undoubtedly loves Liverpool too, but while it seems as though Van Dijk will be wearing red next season, the Liverpudlian will be donning the white of Madrid.
