On a weekend when Trent Alexander-Arnold was booed by thousands of fans inside Anfield, the player who could end up replacing him at Liverpool scored a fine goal for his current club.
Jeremie Frimpong opened the scoring for Bayer Leverkusen against Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, receiving the ball inside the Dortmund penalty area and curling a sumptuous finish into the top corner.
After the ball hit the back of the net, the 24-year-old immediately set off in the direction of the dug-out in order to celebrate with Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso. Like Alexander-Arnold, Alonso confirmed his departure from his current club last week, revealing he will be leaving Leverkusen after three seasons at the helm.
Alonso is the favorite to replace Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid boss this summer, meaning he could well be the next manager that Alexander-Arnold plays under at club level.
As for Frimpong — whose goal ultimately counted for nothing as Dortmund rallied to win 4-2 — he has been linked with a move to Liverpool. The Reds’ interest is genuine, as Liverpool.com exclusively reported earlier in the season.
Arne Slot has reportedly been in touch with his fellow Dutchman, speaking to him on the phone, exchanging text messages, and generally making it clear that he wants the 24-year-old to move to Anfield.
There is already a strong Dutch contingent in Liverpool’s squad with Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch and Virgil van DIjk, and Frimpong could be the next man through the door.
Frimpong reportedly has a $39 million release clause in his Dortmund contract, which should make a deal straightforward to do, if Liverpool chooses to pursue the former Manchester City man.
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Frimpong has emerged as one of the best wing-backs in the world since moving to Bayer Leverkusen in January 2021, playing a key role in the club’s incredible 2023-24 season, when the team came within one game of going unbeaten in all competitions all season and winning a treble.
This season, he has often played in a more advanced position for his club, while his most common position when representing the Netherlands is as a right winger.
So, while the expectation is that he would replace Alexander-Arnold in Liverpool’s team, there is also the possibility that he would provide Arne Slot with an extra option in attack as well.
His arrival would effectively indicate that Liverpool does not feel as though Conor Bradley is ready to replace Alexander-Arnold as the Reds’ first-choice right-back. Bradley has impressed when he has played this season but he has missed a number of games through injury.
