What Salah & Van Dijk contracts mean for Trent Alexander-Arnold U-turn – Fabrizio Romano | OneFootball

Real Madrid remain confident of completing a deal to sign Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold as a free agent.

The No.66’s current terms remain set to expire in 2025 with a u-turn over his next destination football looking highly unlikely at this point in time.

Indeed, David Ornstein has noted that the Reds vice-captain is ‘expected’ to agree a free transfer to La Liga.

Reports have already begun linking Arne Slot’s men with potential replacements at right-back, including Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong.

Van Dijk & Salah contracts won’t change anything

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Fans hoping that the positive news around Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk’s contracts might change Alexander-Arnold’s mind will be bitterly disappointed.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the 26-year-old remains on course for a summer exit from the potential Premier League winners.

The formalisation of the process has yet to take place, with Real Madrid still needing to inform Liverpool when they officially sign the footballer.

“Yeah, that’s the expectation. I keep receiving many questions on that,” the journalist said on the Here We Go podcast.

“Let’s wait for the formal steps. Formal steps means Trent signs the deal at Real Madrid, Real Madrid call Liverpool to say, ‘Okay, we’ve signed the player’. This is always part of the process when it’s about top clubs and free agents, so let’s wait for those steps to say he’s done.

“Again, I can confirm what we said one month ago here: The idea is absolutely for Trent Alexander-Arnold to go to Real Madrid. The plan is very clear, there are no changes; the expectation is for Trent to be with Madrid next season.

Romano went on to add: “I know after the excitement you have for two players like Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk maybe for Liverpool fans they have this dream of completing a comeback on the transfer market and trying to keep Trent.

“But my understanding is that Real Madrid are still very relaxed and confident to make it happen.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold prompts outrage

We can get behind a need to “try something different” when the team a Liverpool player is leaving is significantly worse off than the one he’s heading to.

However, we’re still struggling to neatly match up Trent Alexander-Arnold’s plans with the current state of this side under Arne Slot.

We’re firmly on course to win a 20th English top-flight – to match Manchester United’s tally – and otherwise engaged in a strong first campaign under Jurgen Klopp’s successor.

Confirmation of Salah’s extension, with Van Dijk expected to follow suit shortly, only serves to further ensure stability as we head into the 2025/26 campaign.

That’s also all ignoring the local context around Trent’s decision to cut ties with the red half of Merseyside, despite his personal brand having capitalised on Scouse identity and Steven Gerrard’s heirdom.

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