Trent Alexander-Arnold has confirmed he’s leaving Liverpool when his contract expires on the finish of the season.
The 26-year-old is about to affix Actual Madrid as a free agent after Liverpool had been unable to persuade the homegrown expertise to increase his extremely profitable profession at Anfield. Liverpool are understood to have provided Alexander-Arnold a brand new contract that may have made him the perfect paid full-back within the Premier League and one of many highest paid full-backs on the earth.
Formal negotiations with the participant’s representatives opened as soon as Arne Slot was confirmed as Jürgen Klopp’s successor final 12 months, though Richard Hughes first made contact earlier than formally beginning as Liverpool’s new sporting director. Liverpool had been unable to safe Alexander-Arnold on a brand new deal, nonetheless, in contrast to Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, and the participant knowledgeable Slot of his choice to go away a couple of weeks in the past.
“After 20 years at Liverpool Soccer Membership, now’s the time for me to substantiate that I will likely be leaving on the finish of the season,” Alexander-Arnold introduced on his social media channels this morning. “That is simply the toughest choice I’ve ever made in my life. I do know a lot of you might have questioned why or been pissed off that I haven’t spoken about this but, nevertheless it was at all times my intention to maintain my full deal with the workforce’s greatest pursuits, which was securing quantity 20.
“This membership has been my entire life – my entire world – for 20 years. From the academy proper via till now, the assist and love I’ve felt from everybody inside and outdoors of the membership will stick with me ceaselessly. I’ll ceaselessly be in debt to you all. However, I’ve by no means recognized the rest and this choice is about experiencing a brand new problem, taking myself out of my consolation zone and pushing myself each professionally and personally.
“I’ve given my all each single day I’ve been at this membership, and I hope you’re feeling like I’ve given again to you throughout my time right here. From the underside of my coronary heart, I thank all people – my coaches, my managers, my teammates, the employees and our unimaginable supporters – for the final 20 years. I’ve been blessed sufficient to dwell out my desires right here and I’ll by no means, ever take as a right the particular moments I’ve been lucky sufficient to have lived via with you all. My love for this membership won’t ever die.”
Alexander-Arnold joined Liverpool’s youth ranks on the age of six and made his first-team debut in a League Cup tie in opposition to Tottenham in October 2016, 18 days after his 18th birthday. He has gone on to make 352 appearances for his boyhood membership, scoring 23 targets and successful eight main honours, together with the Champions League and two Premier League titles.
Alexander-Arnold has lengthy been linked with a transfer to Madrid and the sense that he was destined to affix the Spanish giants solely strengthened after they made a £20m bid for the participant on New 12 months’s Eve that was instantly rejected by Liverpool.