LIVERPOOL — As Jürgen Klopp and his players took in the ovation from the Liverpool fans after the Premier League’s final day last season, one man appeared more emotional than most. Trent Alexander-Arnold was moved to tears as supporters paid tribute to their outgoing manager, and the right-back’s reaction was interpreted in some quarters as a sign that he too was headed for the exit door.
Of course, no move materialised last summer, and the 26-year-old has been an integral part of Liverpool’s success under new head coach Arne Slot. But, on that balmy May afternoon, perhaps Alexander-Arnold could already sense it was the beginning of the end of his own Anfield story.
Now, with three months left on his contract and Real Madrid closing in on a deal to sign him on a free transfer at the end of the season, it now seems highly likely that, for the first time in his career, he will soon be playing his football away from Merseyside.
A Liverpool source has told ESPN that no deal has yet been finalised, but a source from Spain added that discussions with the player’s camp have continued since January and that there is a growing optimism from Madrid that an agreement is now close. The prospect of the European champions landing their top defensive target — just months after their January advances were rebuffed — feels inescapable.
Madrid have made no secret of their long-term interest in Alexander-Arnold and, for many of a Liverpool persuasion, his departure has felt inevitable for some time. Still, that will do little to soften the blow as this painful and protracted saga looks to be nearing its end.
Even in today’s ultra-commercialised landscape, football remains a game for the romantics; the notion of a player walking away from his boyhood club in search of adulation elsewhere will, for many, be a bitter pill to swallow.
In the coming days and weeks, there will no doubt be plenty of debate over who to blame and, for those seeking culpability, there are numerous targets at which to point the finger.
Liverpool will be rightly criticised for their handling of the situation, with Alexander-Arnold one of three key players — alongside captain Virgil van Dijk and goal-scoring talisman Mohamed Salah — whose contracts will expire in June. That a club of Liverpool’s standing find themselves in such a predicament constitutes a damning oversight from owners Fenway Sports Group and their footballing hierarchy, though there are some clear mitigating factors.
Typically, the club would look to secure a player to a new contract when there are around two years left on their existing deal. However, when Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Van Dijk were in that position in the summer of 2023, Liverpool were in the midst of a seismic shake-up behind the scenes. Sporting director Julian Ward had just left the club after only one year in the role and, while former Wolfsburg sporting director Jörg Schmadtke had been drafted in as an interim, the internal infrastructure remained in disarray. The scope for long-term planning was then further scuppered when Klopp announced in January 2024 that the season would be his final one at Anfield.
For incoming sporting director Richard Hughes, the priority was ensuring Klopp’s successor had the credentials to excel on Merseyside and — with Liverpool now 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League table — the hiring of Slot from Feyenoord Rotterdam appears to have been a masterstroke.
But the subsequent lack of headway made in negotiations with Liverpool’s out-of-contract trio has left the club vulnerable to advances from elsewhere, with all three players having been free to speak to overseas clubs since Jan. 1.
Of course, there are few cities in Europe more gloriously tribal about their football than Liverpool. Whether you are Liverpool red or Everton blue, the chance to represent the region on the pitch is the ultimate dream for so many.
It is for that reason many supporters will struggle to reconcile with Alexander-Arnold’s decision, if he does depart this summer. At Liverpool, the defender is revered, having joined the academy at the age of six and evolved into a linchpin of the first team, making 349 senior appearances and winning seven major trophies.
While some players — including Luis Suárez, Philippe Coutinho and, perhaps more pertinently, homegrown winger Steven McManaman (who joined Real Madrid on a free transfer in 1999) — have had to leave Anfield in order to pursue silverware, Alexander-Arnold is part of a Liverpool team that looks poised to compete at the top level for years to come.
When asked in an interview with British GQ back in 2020 whether he could envisage spending the entirety of his career at Liverpool, the right-back said: “I can, yeah. It is not something I have ever really thought about. I have always loved Liverpool; I have always supported them. I have always played for them, so I have never had that reason to think about it. Still, now I wouldn’t sit there in my room and daydream about playing somewhere else. Right now, I am a Liverpool player, I love the club more than anything.”
Rightly or wrongly, those words will be used as a weapon against him in the coming weeks as supporters try to wrestle with the idea that, somewhere along the way, his mindset has shifted.
Critics will also argue the defender could have been more transparent about his intentions to leave this summer. Alexander-Arnold has spoken publicly only once about his contract situation this term, after Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over Bournemouth in September.
“Look, 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,” he said. “And this one won’t be either. I want to be a Liverpool player this season [as a minimum] is what I will say.”
At the time, it was viewed as an admirable stance. However, that vacuum of silence has since been filled with noise from Madrid, threatening, at times, to destabilise Liverpool’s season at crucial moments. Some will contend that, as vice-captain, Alexander-Arnold should have fronted up to the issue more, or that his camp should have encouraged his suitors to maintain a dignified silence while negotiations continued.
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Hutchison: Liverpool fans crying out for information on star’s contracts
Don Hutchison believes the Liverpool board need to communicate more with fans around the contract situation with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Still, in instances such as this, there is no silver bullet. No matter which approach Alexander-Arnold chose to adopt, there would still be those unable or unwilling to make peace with his decision. And that, ultimately, is the crux of the matter: However unpopular, this is Alexander-Arnold’s decision to make. Perhaps, as galling as the situation might be for some supporters, no one is truly to blame here. Perhaps it is simply the case that a talented footballer — having won all of the biggest honours available to him at Anfield — craves a new challenge.
When asked by Sky Sports in October whether he would rather win another Champions League title, captain Liverpool, win an international trophy, or win the Ballon d’Or, Alexander-Arnold surprisingly opted for the latter.
“I believe I can,” he said. “I want to be the first full-back to ever do it.”
Even the most ardent Liverpool supporter would struggle to argue that Madrid is not an easier route to success, both collectively and individually. A move to the Bernabéu would pave the way for the greater stardom which Alexander-Arnold clearly covets, though he must acknowledge that will likely come at the expense of tainting his legacy back on Merseyside.
For Liverpool, the biggest concern now is that Salah and Van Dijk, as things stand, will also leave this summer. Replacing Alexander-Arnold would be a challenging proposition in itself (offset somewhat by the emergence of teenager Conor Bradley), but replacing three players of such pedigree in the same window — while also performing much-needed surgery on other parts of the squad — would be a daunting task indeed.
On the pitch, Liverpool are in pole position to win what would be only the club’s second league title in 35 years. Should they get over the line in the final months of the season, it would be doing Slot and his team a disservice to let their efforts be overshadowed by acrimony toward a player who has contributed so much during his time at Anfield.
Clarity is needed so that all parties can prepare themselves for what lies ahead. This should be a time of celebration for Liverpool; it would be a shame to let the noise off the pitch spoil the party.
