Surprise twist in Real Madrid pursuit of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold | Football

Real Madrid could still pay a fee to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool, despite his contract expiring this summer.

It has been a stunning season so far for the Reds on the pitch, sitting top of the Premier League, into the Carabao Cup final and going well in the Champions League.

However, there is something of a cloud hanging over Anfield as three of their modern greats are all in the final few weeks of their contracts.

Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk could all leave the club on free transfers at the end of the season, which would carve a huge hole in Arne Slot’s first team.

While all three could depart for free, there remains a chance that Liverpool could receive a fee for Alexander-Arnold as Real Madrid push to sign him.

The Spanish giants are at the front of the queue to sign the England international and tried to get him in January, but saw a £20m bid rejected.

They can get him for nothing when his contract expires on June 30, but Real Madrid would like to bring him in before then as they have the Club World Cup this summer, starting on June 15.

The Sun report that Real could offer Liverpool a fee in order for them to release the full-back from his contract early, allowing him to join the Spaniards in early June.

The summer transfer window opens earlier than usual, on June 1, due to the newly revamped Club World Cup, so a new signing can be registered before the tournament begins.

However, the likelihood of this early departure from Anfield does not seem particularly likely given how late the current season runs.

The Premier League season comes to an end on May 25, with Liverpool on course to be lifting the title.

There is a long way to go in the Champions League, but if the Reds continue to progress, the final is on May 31 and it seems unthinkable that Alexander-Arnold would leave before or even immediately after that.

The fee would also be pretty small, certainly not as much as the £20m Real Madrid offered in January and Liverpool turned down.

There remains hope at Anfield that Alexander-Arnold can be convinced to stay at the club, with Arne Slot keen to keep hold of the 26-year-old.

Negotiations started over a year ago, with little progress and certainly no agreement, so it would take a late breakthrough to change things.

Speaking last month about the soon-to-be-released trio, Slot said: ‘We have some contractual situations that you don’t probably don’t know about.

‘But Trent, Mo and Virgil haven’t extended yet. So we are aware of the fact that we have to be sharp and ready for things that can happen.

‘My life is mainly short-term but we have so many quality people at this club that look at the longer term as well. You always have to be prepared for all the new things coming up.

‘The players that don’t play a big part at the moment; will they be able to do this another year? Will they fight for their place or will they [want to] go somewhere else? So we have to be prepared for the next window and what we can do.’

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