While Liverpool fans still don’t know for sure, there is a sinking feeling starting to develop around the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who as it stands is set to leave his boyhood club on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Like Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, Trent will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club from January 1st, and it is looking more and more likely that his future may lie in Spain with Real Madrid.
Arne Slot and Sporting Director Richard Hughes will be desperate to keep Trent beyond this season, and are reportedly lining up a contract offer which would make him the highest-paid English player in the Premier League.
However, FSG and Michael Edwards are notoriously hard-nosed when it comes to financial decisions and will only offer Trent a contract they feel is worthwhile. This approach has had benefits in the past, but FSG could also be repeating a huge error they made with the Boston Red Sox and Mookie Betts in the past.
Slot and Hughes have to prepare for both eventualities. Either Trent stays and everyone’s happy, or he goes and a replacement needs to be found.
Liverpool are well-stocked at right-back, with Conor Bradley still having plenty of room to get even better than he already is, and Joe Gomez a more than capable deputy as well.
However, if Trent is to leave then Liverpool may prefer to bring another option into the squad, allowing Gomez to focus on covering for Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate in the centre of defence.
That opens the door for a surprising transfer for a player that Liverpool have scouted before.