Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has vowed not to play out his contract saga in public like teammate Mo Salah, amid persistent rumors of a move to Real Madrid.
Alexander-Arnold, 26, is on course to become a free agent at the end of this season as his current contract with the Reds expires in June 2025. Reigning Spanish and European champions Madrid have long been tipped to take advantage of the situation by signing a contract. Alexander-Arnold is on a free transfer, making him their No. 1 target for next summer.
The England defender can sign a pre-contract deal with a foreign club from January 1 and in a new interview with Sky Sports, Alexander-Arnold has discussed the situation for the first time since Madrid reportedly agreed a contract with Liverpool executives. .
“I have been at the club for 20 years now and have signed four or five contract extensions… and none of them have played out in public,” he stated. “Neither will this one.”
Alexander-Arnold is not the only Liverpool star who is out of contract next summer. Salah and Virgil van Dijk are also in the final seven months of their respective contracts, with manager Arne Slot saying ahead of Saturday's match with Fulham: “It doesn't worry me, we just accept the situation as it is. They play on a very good club and is currently doing very well.
“I work with a lot of quality players here and Mo is certainly one of them. He is someone who should be scoring goals. He is also one of the reasons why we keep as many clean sheets as we do. We are going to face Fulham who would now them have to perform much better to get a result. You can only get points from these competitions if you have quality yourself.
Talk of Salah's future has certainly gained more momentum after he opted to go public last month, telling reporters that Liverpool had not yet offered him a new contract. However, Mirror Football reported last weekend that Salah is now close to signing a two-year extension.
As for Van Dijk, the Liverpool captain said in October: “Discussions are ongoing, we will see what happens in the future. My full focus is on Liverpool, I want to win games in front of me and nothing else. As for the future will bring I have no idea at the moment. I can only tell you that discussions have started and we will see when the time comes to make a decision, then you will know too.”
Comments