Trent Alexander-Arnold could still decide to remain at Liverpool on one major condition according to former defender Stephen Warnock despite expectation England star will join Real Madrid
Former Liverpool player Stephen Warnock believes there is still a chance that Trent Alexander-Arnold remains at Anfield beyond this season.
Homegrown Alexander-Arnold is expected to join Real Madrid when his contract expires at the end of June with reports suggesting a deal worth £12m a year has already been agreed by the Spanish giants.
But Warnock reckons the deal is not yet completely done and Alexander-Arnold may be tempted to sign a new deal after all – once the club’s owners ensure he is among the top earners.
Looking at fellow out of contract stars Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah as comparison, Warnock said on BBC Football Focus: “I still think there’s an opportunity where he could stay. I think there’s still that element where he’s almost going, ‘If you want me, you’re going to have to pay for me.’
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“Because if you think of Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, their salaries are astronomical at the moment. Because Trent is a local lad, he won’t be on the type of money that they are on and he will be thinking, ‘Pay me what they’re getting paid.’
“And it might be a case of just closing that gap and (they are) able to make that happen.
“But the other side of it is, what Liverpool fans are getting very frustrated by, is that he’s potentially going to leave on a free transfer. This is a player that you got on a free transfer (from the club’s academy) who you haven’t paid a penny for and has given you eight incredible years at the club.”
According to a number of sources Alexander-Arnold’s current deal at Liverpool is worth about £9m per season with Salah banking double that and club captain Van Dijk on a little more than £11m. The England international, 26, joined Liverpool’s academy aged six.
It remains unclear whether Van Dijk or Salah will agree new deals at the club despite being close to securing a second Premier League title in Arne Slot ’s debut campaign as manager.
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