Slot wants him: Liverpool could sign Trent’s replacement for less than £25m; Reds stepping up chase
It seems increasingly likely that Trent Alexander-Arnold will move on from Liverpool in the summer, and reports suggest that the Anfield hierarchy are already looking towards a prospective replacement.
On Monday, Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri claimed that Real Madrid have ‘secured’ a deal for the 26-year-old, which if true would end months of speculation regarding the Reds’ vice-captain.
The search for a new right-back has seemingly led Arne Slot towards Jeremie Frimpong, with LFC’s head coach understood to have been in regular phone contact with the Bayer Leverkusen speedster (Christian Falk), and a younger Dutch alternative also appears to be of interest.
Liverpool eye Givairo Read as potential Trent replacement
According to CaughtOffside, Liverpool have intensified their efforts to try and sign Givairo Read from Feyenoord, although they face strong competition from Barcelona.
Slot previously managed the 18-year-old at De Kuip and would like to work with the teenage right-back once again, with the youngster viewed as a long-term solution in that area of the pitch.
He has three years remaining on his contract in Rotterdam, with his current employers believed to be seeking between €25m and €30m (£21m-£25m) for the player.
Is Read the right option for Liverpool just yet?
Read has shown himself to be a decent attacking outlet for Feyenoord, contributing a goal and seven assists from 27 games at right-back this season. That matches Trent’s creative tally from 39 matches this term, although the Liverpool vice-captain has a slightly better goal output (three).
At just 18, he’s already a regular in the Eredivisie and has played in the knockout stages of the Champions League, enjoying plenty of exposure to a high level of football and still having virtually his entire career ahead of him.
However, his rumoured asking price isn’t a great deal lower than Frimpong’s release clause of €40m (£33.5m), and the Leverkusen dynamo is a far more proven quantity who, at 24, is just coming into his prime. He’s also produced a consistently high G/A output from the right flank and would be ready to make an immediate impact at Anfield.
The other question that Liverpool’s powerbrokers must contemplate is whether or not to put their faith in Conor Bradley to be the Reds’ starting right-back, with the Northern Ireland youngster performing commendably whenever he’s been given a chance.
What happens with Trent is set to dictate how seriously LFC go into the market for a positional replacement in the summer. While Read seems like a promising talent, other options (such as Frimpong) would appear to represent better value for what they’d have to offer.
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