Liverpool earlier this afternoon swiftly rejected an initial approach from Real Madrid to sign right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold in January.
According to Paul Joyce of The Times, the Spanish champions made their intentions of signing the English international clear by contacting the club’s hierarchy on New Year’s Eve, but an attempt to seal a cut-price deal was immediately rebuffed.
Joyce further stated that the conversation did not even reach the stage at which numbers were mentioned, with Liverpool offering no encouragement to Real as their focus is solely on winning the Premier League.
Liverpool’s stance appears to kill off Alexander-Arnold leaving in January as an option, although there remains the prospect of the England international moving to the Bernabeu in the summer.
However, there have been reports that Real Madrid is preparing another bid in the region of £20m to land their top target.
Real will now take that opportunity to speak to the right back and it will then be left to Alexander-Arnold to decide whether he wants to leave his boyhood club.
Liverpool have been in negotiations with the player and his representatives for several months over an extension to his existing deal.
They have not received any indication that he will leave and the player responded to claims in the Spanish media over the weekend that he had given Real his word about a move by making a talking gesture when celebrating his goal in Sunday’s 5-0 win over West Ham United.
Alexander-Arnold told reporters after Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth at Anfield in September, “Look, I have been at the club 20 years now. I have signed four or five contract extensions and none of those have been played out in public. And this one won’t be either.”
The defender was on the scoresheet in Liverpool’s 5-0 drubbing of West Ham on Sunday, and he celebrated by making a yapping gesture with his hand — a response to the recent intense speculation about his future.
Liverpool wants to keep Alexander-Arnold for the foreseeable future and have been in negotiations with him just like they want to ensure Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Digk remain on their books.
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