Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore believes the Reds could afford to lose Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the right-back being one of three senior players whose contracts are set to expire in the summer.
Alexander-Arnold, along with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, will be free to sign pre-contract agreements with potential suitors or leave for free at the end of June when their current deals run out.
Real Madrid remains interested in the England international but was unsuccessful in their attempts to secure a deal in January.
Arne Slot’s team continues to lead the Premier League, having advanced to the Champions League Round of 16 as group winners after securing seven wins from eight league-phase matches.
However, the futures of Alexander-Arnold, Salah, and van Dijk remain uncertain, with Slot frequently being questioned about what lies ahead for them.
Stan Collymore, who was an Anfield teammate of Steve McManaman – who made the move to Real Madrid in 1999 – believes that if Liverpool’s current homegrown hero follows in McManaman’s footsteps, the club still has the necessary tools to move forward.
“Looking at probabilities, I’d say there’s a 90% chance Van Dijk stays, around 60% for Salah, and a 50/50 chance for Alexander-Arnold — bizarrely, because he’s the Scouser!” Collymore told William Hill Vegas.
“But when you’ve won everything with your boyhood club, as Trent has, a move abroad becomes tempting.
“Trent isn’t a great defender, but he’s a fantastic footballer, and a league like La Liga would suit him perfectly.
“Real Madrid would allow him to drift into midfield, have more time on the ball, and play to his strengths.
“If he goes there, you couldn’t begrudge him — it’s Real Madrid!
“If Liverpool were to lose Trent, they could find a right-back who gets into attacking positions, so I wouldn’t say his departure would be a huge loss.
“The bigger issue would be losing Van Dijk. Van Dijk won’t want to cause problems – he just wants the right deal – but Liverpool need to prepare for the future.
“They should be getting someone like Jarell Quansah up to speed, but there are still question marks over him.”
Read more: Memphis Depay issues apology after receiving suspended jail sentence for drink driving
Manchester United confirm Lisandro Martinez suffers cruciate ligament injury
Liverpool hope emotional pull can convince Trent Alexander-Arnold to reject Real Madrid move
