Liverpool have offered Trent Alexander-Arnold a five-year £78million contract in a bid to keep the England defender out of Real Madrid's clutches.
There is a similar £300,000-a-week deal on the Bernabeu table for the 26-year-old, but in addition he can expect a huge signing fee from the Spanish giants if he becomes a free agent this summer.
It has all left the player in a dilemma, torn between staying at his hometown club with the chance to further establish himself as a Kop idol, or becoming a Galactico signing for arguably the biggest club in world football.
Liverpool feel there is no more they can do to tempt Alexander-Arnold to stay at Anfield for the early years of an already glittering career on Merseyside.
There are no demands from Alexander-Arnold to be given the captaincy. He knows he is the natural successor to Virgil van Dijk when the Dutchman's time as a regular first-team player comes to an end.
As reported, Real Madrid are now keen to sign him and are willing to invest £20m even if TAA becomes Bosman-free in the summer.
That is non-negotiable for Liverpool, who are in the middle of what could be a Premier League title-winning season. The player himself is against a departure in January, because he is not willing to rock the boat.
In the meantime, he has kept his own opinion on the future as he weighs both inviting options, recently saying: “I've signed four or five contract extensions and none of them have been played out in public – and this one won't be either. .”
As is known, Liverpool are more confident that both Mo Salah and Van Dijk will sign new two-year contracts, with their current contracts also due to expire in the summer.
Like Alexander-Arnold, they can now negotiate with foreign clubs and especially in the case of Salah, there is huge interest from the continent and Saudi Arabia, but he wants to extend his stay at Liverpool for the right reward.
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