5 key Liverpool questions answered as Trent Alexander-Arnold transfer plan becomes clearer

With the Liverpool full-back seemingly bound for Real Madrid, Arne Slot will already be making detailed plans for the summer transfer market and hoping Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah stay at Anfield

Liverpool may have to start preparing for life without Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the defender rumoured to have decided to leave for Real Madrid this summer. The England defender is out of contract this summer – after Anfield chiefs allowed his deal to enter its final year.

And reports in Spain this week have suggested that the boyhood Liverpool fan has decided to call time on his Premier League career in order to make the move to Spain. So, will this change the club’s transfer plans this summer? Andy Dunn answers five important questions…

Will Slot look to recruit a direct replacement for Alexander-Arnold?

It is fair to say there are not many full-backs out there with Alexander-Arnold’s skillset and it is also unlikely Slot would want to sanction a massive transfer spend in that position, not when he has Conor Bradley at his disposal. There is a lot of confidence in the Northern Ireland defender inside Anfield and a feeling that Bradley’s effectiveness going forward is underestimated.

Liverpool have been linked with Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong but the asking price is likely to be not far south of £50million and if Trent leaves, Bradley will be first-choice right-back. A young defender with plenty of potential might be on the transfer radar.

Will Salah’s decision have an effect on Slot’s plans for the right side of Liverpool’s defence?

Salah’s decision will inevitably have a big influence on Liverpool’s transfer policy this summer but regardless of whether he goes or stays, Slot will be searching for a high-quality striker. If Salah does sign a new deal, it would seem Slot still has an array of attacking options but Darwin Nunez remains hit and miss and Diogo Jota seems to have hit a bit of a flat spot.

There has been eye-popping speculation about Alexander Isak and Harry Kane, with the former a slightly more gettable property. The England captain will have at least one more season at Bayern Munich.

Who will step into the leadership role that Alexander-Arnold had?

If Virgil van Dijk decides to leave, there really would be a leadership issue at Anfield but the signs are that the club skipper will still be there next season. But even at 26, Alexander-Arnold is a big influence in the dressing-room and a senior figure around the training ground.

If he departs for the Spanish capital, expect Alexis Mac Allister to take the vice-captaincy role and stand in as skipper if Van Dijk is unavailable for any reason. The Argentine midfielder has become one of Slot’s trusted lieutenants.

If he is fit for selection will Alexander-Arnold play a part in the run-in to Liverpool’s season?

Yes, absolutely. Don’t forget, he has yet to confirm he is leaving for Real Madrid and his professionalism has NEVER been questioned. Slot will want to get the Premier League title sealed as soon as possible and that means playing his best team … and Alexander-Arnold is part of his best team.

And while some Liverpool supporters would not want to give Alexander-Arnold an enthusiastically warm send-off, he is unlikely to get seriously negative treatment from the fans. He has not played his last game for Liverpool.

If Salah and Van Dijk stay, who will be the prominent names on Liverpool’s list of transfer targets?

While Liverpool and Slot might not sign a direct replacement for Alexander-Arnold, they could well recruit some serious competition for Andy Robertson on the left flank. Milos Kerkez has been outstanding for Bournemouth this season and has made his ambitions of joining a big-name club very clear.

After a quiet couple of windows, expect Liverpool to be quite active this summer. They are not alone in keeping tabs on Southampton’s attacking midfielder Tyler Dibling but would not want to get into a bidding battle with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

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