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Arne Slot has broken his silence on all the Trent Alexander-Arnold reports of the last week.

Liverpool’s march toward a historic 20th league title has been overshadowed by renewed speculation over vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold’s impending free transfer to Real Madrid, with reports of a finalized agreement sparking frustration among fans during a pivotal phase of the season.

The Spanish giants, who failed with a £20 million January bid, are poised to secure the 26-year-old on a free transfer, offering wages exceeding £220,000 weekly.

The timing could hardly be worse for Liverpool.

Arne Slot’s side holds a commanding 12-point lead atop the Premier League, with nine games remaining to seal their first title since 2020.

However, the news has shifted focus from on-field success to off-field uncertainty

Despite offering a lucrative extension, Liverpool have seemingly failed to convince their academy product to stay.

Slot publicly praised Alexander-Arnold’s commitment as recently as January, but it seems to no avail.

Though Alexander-Arnold joins as a free agent, Madrid may pay Liverpool up to £1 million to release him early for June’s Club World Cup, where he’d feature in group-stage games before his contract expires on July 1.

Alexander-Arnold would follow David Alaba, Antonio Rüdiger, and Kylian Mbappé as high-profile free signings for Madrid.

That’s if the deal is made official, with Slot now responding to reports.

Speaking in his pre-Everton press conference, Slot said:

“His situation is unfortunately that he is injured.

They have done so well in these circumstances.”

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