Liverpool will not countenance the sale of Trent Alexander-Arnold in January, regardless of the size of any Real Madrid offer.
The Reds have already shut down Madrid’s initial enquiry about Alexander-Arnold and intend to move forward with attempts to tie him down to a new, lucrative long-term contract.
And The i Paper understands that “not-for-sale” stance will not be changing under any circumstances this month – even if, as rumoured in Spain, there is a second approach for the England international.
It is a position that makes sense at Anfield. While Dani Carvajal’s injury makes Madrid’s need for a right-back pressing, a mooted bid of £20m holds little appeal for Liverpool.
They have no issues staying within the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) so even though that fee would go down on their books as “pure profit”, it would damage them at a time when they are closing in on the title.
The risk of losing him for nothing at the end of the season is one they are prepared to take given that within the corridors of power, they still retain a realistic hope of keeping him beyond the summer.
And even if Alexander-Arnold is thinking about Madrid’s approach, there is also justified confidence that he won’t agitate for a move this month or let his focus drop. Madrid’s mischief-making shouldn’t disrupt the form of one of their best players.
So what are the factors that will decide Alexander-Arnold’s long-term future? Here are the main questions that will give us an idea of whether he stays at Anfield or not.
How ambitious is Liverpool’s rebuild?
Liverpool’s power brokers are heavily indebted to Arne Slot.
Given they are peering down at the rest of the Premier League, it is easy to forget that the Reds barely strengthened their squad in 2024 and arrived at the start of the season with real questions about whether their position in the top four was under threat.
A change of direction after Jurgen Klopp left – with the return of Michael Edwards in a key role across Fenway Sports Group and a return to the data-led approach – is yet to really be tested given that Liverpool have not made significant moves in the transfer market. Will the summer of 2025 be a game-changer?
Given he has committed a significant chunk of his career to the club, Alexander-Arnold is entitled to ask whether they are planning a rebuild that will keep them competitive among Europe’s elite.
Could Alexander-Arnold’s friendship with Bellingham turn his head?
Alexander-Arnold’s closest friend in football is England teammate Jude Bellingham.
During the 2022 World Cup Liverpool fans hoped the friendship would deliver the then Borussia Dortmund man to Anfield, so there is a nasty twist in the tale that it may now take Alexander-Arnold to Spain.
You can bet that Bellingham – who has settled well at the Bernabeu, looking every inch the superstar – will be extolling the virtues of life at Madrid.
Under-appreciated in England?
It says it all that for much of his career the debate around Alexander-Arnold in England has been about his defensive deficiencies.
The summer seemed to centre around whether he should be a deep-lying midfielder for the national team, simply because his passing range is unrivalled.
When that unsurprisingly didn’t come off, the criticism seemed to be aimed at Alexander-Arnold for some reason.
While it is true that he is no traditional right-back, there is so much to his game that isn’t truly celebrated in England. He is an extraordinarily talented player, versatile and fantastic on the ball. Would he be better suited to the pace of La Liga?
Does anyone ever turn down Madrid?
Michael Owen might not be the most popular man at Anfield these days but he had a point when he said that it is very difficult to turn down the chance to move to Real Madrid.
Gary Lineker backed up the point in his podcast when he said that – from a player’s point of view – it is almost impossible to say no to the big Spanish clubs.
It is hard to think of too many players who – when given a firm offer by Madrid – don’t accept it. It would be a remarkable show of faith in his boyhood club if he did.
Just how big is Liverpool’s offer going to be?
It may not be the biggest motivation but money talks. A move to Madrid would come with wages that outstrip his current level. If he signs a pre-contract agreement, a signing-on fee that would be very substantial too.
Liverpool run a tight ship and have to finance contract offers to Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah too, so can they go to the £300,000-a-week or so that Alexander-Arnold probably wants? They can afford it, but it would be a huge test of Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group and their football policy to do it.
It is difficult to escape the feeling that Liverpool are paying a very big price for the stasis of the summer of 2023, when they employed Jorg Schmadtke to pacify Klopp and some big calls got put off.
What about his personal ambition?
Alexander-Arnold is on the record as saying he wants to be the best right-back who ever played the game, which is some ceiling.
He knows that if he wants to be in Ballon d’Or contention – and Rodri has blazed a trail for defensive players – he needs to be where the major prizes are.
So the onus is on Liverpool to show to him that they are a platform to do that.
Where does Slot factor into all this?
The Liverpool manager has quietly revolutionised Alexander-Arnold’s game, with the player speaking in glowing terms about the changes he has made to the way he plays.
He is a detailed tactical analyst who has been great for Alexander-Arnold.
Carlo Ancelotti deserves to be regarded as one of the best but he is not cut from the same cloth. Perhaps Slot’s meticulous approach is best for the player?
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