Fabrizio Romano explains the implications of Salah and Van Dijk’s contracts on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s potential change of direction.

Real Madrid is still confident about finalizing a deal to sign Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold as a free agent, despite his current contract running until 2025. A change in his decision about his next move seems unlikely at this stage. David Ornstein reports that Alexander-Arnold is expected to make a free transfer to La Liga.

There have already been discussions about potential replacements for him at right-back, such as Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong. Fans hoping that recent contract news involving Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk would sway Alexander-Arnold’s decision will likely be disappointed. Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the 26-year-old is still on track for a summer departure.

Though the official process has not yet been completed, with Real Madrid needing to formally notify Liverpool of the agreement, Romano reiterated the expectation that Alexander-Arnold will move to Madrid next season. He explained that, while Liverpool fans may be hopeful of keeping him, Real Madrid is confident the transfer will go through smoothly.

Although Alexander-Arnold’s departure might seem controversial, especially with Liverpool’s strong position under Jurgen Klopp’s successor, the stability brought by Salah’s contract extension and Van Dijk’s expected renewal highlights the club’s future direction. This makes Trent’s decision to leave even more surprising, considering his deep ties to Liverpool’s legacy.