Liverpool will have to plan for life without Trent Alexander-Arnold for next season and beyond, with the Reds’ vice-captain leaving at the end of his current contract this summer.
The 26-year-old confirmed this morning that he’s to end his association with his boyhood club, with a free transfer to Real Madrid widely expected to materialise in the coming weeks.
Arne Slot already has Conor Bradley in place as an immediate right-back successor, but the Premier League champions could yet decide to enter the transfer market in an attempt to bolster their options in that area of the pitch.
Liverpool plotting Jeremie Frimpong transfer offer
According to sources close to Empire of the Kop, Liverpool have duly identified Jeremie Frimpong as a priority target for the summer and are expected to make their first move for the Bayer Leverkusen defender soon.
The Reds are understood to be preparing an opening offer in the region of €35m-€40m (£29.8m-£34.1m) and want to complete a deal for the 24-year-old as quickly as possible, with a determination to advance negotiations quickly.
The Netherlands international is believed to be keen on a move to the Premier League and could be amenable to joining the Anfield giants if an agreement on terms can be reached.
Liverpool also have several right-back alternatives lined up in case the pursuit of Frimpong hits a dead end, with Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest), Dodo (Fiorentina) and Vanderson (Monaco) all on Richard Hughes’ radar.
Frimpong would be an excellent replacement for Trent at Liverpool
A few weeks ago we exclusively reported on EOTK that Liverpool chiefs were due to meet with the Bayer Leverkusen defender’s agents, and it now appears that an offer will soon be making its way to the BayArena.
Head coach Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes were made aware of Trent’s intentions to leave Anfield during the March international break (The Athletic), so they’ll already have had time to plot a succession plan.
Whilst we have every faith in Bradley to step up and become our first-choice in that position, his injury record over the past couple of seasons is alarming, and to go into the 2025/26 campaign with only one natural senior option at right-back would be playing with fire.
If Liverpool are to sign a replacement for their outgoing vice-captain, they could do a lot worse than Frimpong, who’s well accusomed to playing at a high level of football in Europe and still has his prime years ahead of him, along with offering an extraordinary threat from the right flank.
Since the beginning of last season, the Dutchman has scored 18 goals and set up another 24, a remarkable level of output for a player who doesn’t play in a nominal attacking position but is clearly given licence to roam forward at will, given his effectiveness in the final third.
If the Reds can secure someone of the 24-year-old’s talents for less than £40m this summer, it’d represent an astonishing coup by Hughes in the transfer market.
