'Affordable' - Arne Slot has named four players who could replace Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool

Arne Slot has remained tight-lipped about whether Liverpool will dip into the transfer market to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The right-back has confirmed that he will be departing Anfield at the end of the season when his contract expires. Alexander-Arnold has been at his boyhood club for the past 20 years, winning eight major trophies - including a second Premier League title this season.

Conor Bradley has served as Alexander-Arnold’s deputy for the past two years and has become a bona fide first-team player. But there is still some debate around whether Liverpool should sign another full-back in the summer transfer window, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong among those linked.

In the current squad, Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah and even midfielder Curtis Jones have played in right-back roles throughout this season.

Slot, speaking ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Arsenal, would not delve into whether Liverpool will replace Alexander-Arnold. But he admitted that improving a squad that have won the top-flight crown and were only knocked out of the Champions League by finalists Paris Saint-Germain on penalties will be a challenge.

Slot said: “I have played Conor Bradley and Curtis Jones over there so four players (Quansah and Gomez also) who can play that position. I agree one of them that is the ideal position and Joe Gomez can play there really well but his favourite position is centre-back and for Jarell the same. I think it would be a surprise if I were to tell you now: 'Yes, we are looking at this and looking at that'.

“We don't talk about contracts here so we don't talk about the positions or if we want to improve the team in certain areas. First of all, and that's the most difficult thing for a club like Liverpool if you just won the league - and were so competitive against PSG because they needed penalties to knock us out – that it is not easy to find better players than we already have. And if they are there then they still need to be affordable and need to want to come. That last thing is mostly not a problem, by the way, but sometimes transfer fees sometimes are.”

Alexander-Arnold’s decision to run his contract down and leave Liverpool on a free transfer has angered a significant section of supporters. He could receive an unwelcoming reception from some at of those at Anfield on Sunday.

Slot insists that he’s not in a position to tell Kopites how they should react to Alexander-Arnold’s departure. The Liverpool head coach added: “The people have an opinion about us, if it is Trent or me or someone else, that is not new for anyone. Probably it's a bit more now for him than he is used to and probably a bit more negative but I don’t follow all of this. I am not here to tell the fans how they should react.

“I will see Trent in a bit – the boys had a few days off as well – and I will wait and see he feels about him announcing about leaving the club. I did speak to him on WhatsApp. Let's wait and see but I'm not here to tell the fans how to react. We are all disappointed but Trent is the first one also who he said he would prefer us as a team and a club not to be not too much distracted by this announcement. I am hoping all the energy on Sunday goes to the players and less as possible to Trent - unless it is positive then they can do whatever they want.”