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Speculation surrounding Trent Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool future continues but the club are planning on him staying with contract talks to be accelerated

Sport

Paul Gorst Liverpool FC correspondent

10:21, 25 Jul 2024



MIRROR/STAR EXCLUSIVE - EMBARGOED UNTIL 9AM THURSDAY 25.7.24 - BGUK_2983747 - Malibu, CA - England Footballers Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold get over their disappointment from the Euro 2024 defeat at the hands of Spain by heading out, as they arrive at the renowned Nobu Malibu restaurant.

Or so went the theory, at least.

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The following day, a send-to-many WhatsApp message began to circulate, forwarded on with a mix of intrigue and zest by supporters desperate for the claims to be genuine.

READ MORE:Darwin Nunez and two more Liverpool players face uncertain futuresREAD MORE:Liverpool free transfer sends warning to squad after Arne Slot makes position clear

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"Just heard from a reliable source," began the message which went on to confidently state Alexander-Arnold had in fact penned terms on a deal to make him one of the highest-paid players of all time at Liverpool, which, it was suggested, was the same weekly figure being dangled by Real Madrid, who are just shy of five months away from being able to speak directly to the Liverpool star's representatives.

The claim, as bombastic as it was, has since been rubbished by both sources at Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold's camp itself, but one aspect that has remained consistent is the respect both are keen to show each other publicly as this contract impasse drags on into the sort of territory that is making some supporters increasingly nervous.

It's 20 years next month since Real Madrid swooped in to steal Michael Owen for what was, even two decades ago, a paltry sum of just £8m, merely weeks into Rafa Benitez's time as manager.

I do not talk about the future."

The similarities of a star player inside the final year of his contract with Real Madrid circling are plentiful but there are reasons to be optimistic from a Liverpool perspective.

The ECHO understands Alexander-Arnold has already spoken to new head coach Arne Slot and the pair have briefly outlined their respective plans for the summer.

Alexander-Arnold, according to a number of sources, has talked up his determination to hit the ground running upon his return to club football and his commitment to the cause for the coming campaign has been detailed explicitly.

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Slot, it was stressed, was keen not to overstep the boundaries at a time when Alexander-Arnold was gearing up for Euros duty with the Three Lions but it is interesting to note that alongside Virgil van Dijk and Darwin Nunez, the new head coach felt the need to reach out as early as possible to see lay of the land from his vice-captain's perspective.

There is no appetite at Liverpool to offload him this summer for what would be a relatively cut-price sale given his contract situation and new sporting director Richard Hughes will make resolving Alexander-Arnold's future one of his first ports of call when the England international returns to club duties after an end-of-season holiday next month.

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Pictures of the Reds star on holiday in the United States with fellow England man Jude Bellingham have led to a further layer of unease for some supporters given the latter's superlative debut campaign with the now La Liga and Champions League holders, but their friendship is not indicative of an imminent deal between Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Trent has been seen in California this week(Image: 2024 BACKGRID UK)

Los Blancos, though, have been aggressively fine-tuning their squad to a world-class level in recent years, signing some of the brightest young talents in European football in the likes of Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Bellingham, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund for over £100m last year

The No.66 has never shied away from his desire to one day captain the club he grew up supporting and has spoken in glowing terms of the increased responsibility he has taken on since being promoted into the leadership group within the playing squad.

At the age of 25, Alexander-Arnold now sees it as his duty to help bring through the next generation of stars at Anfield in same way the more experienced players like Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Adam Lallana did for him when he broke into senior fringes under Jurgen Klopp eight years ago.

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A wage packet that reflects his current status will be required for Liverpool to keep the West-Derby-born defender at Anfield for what theoretically should be his vintage years but there is no eagerness to flutter the eyelashes elsewhere.

The longer the summer of silence goes on, though, expect the rumour, speculation and occasional creative theory to continue unabashed.