Liverpool 'make offer' for huge January deal worth £78m as 'talks opened' over move for Euro 2020 winner

Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, interacts with Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool after the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC at London Stadium on December 29, 2024 in London, England.Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, interacts with Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool after the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC at London Stadium on December 29, 2024 in London, England.
Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, interacts with Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool after the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC at London Stadium on December 29, 2024 in London, England. | Getty Images
Liverpool could be set for a busy January as a number of fringe players seek moves while contract talks continue

Despite Liverpool not seeking to make any significant additions during the January transfer window, it could still be a busy month for the Reds as they seek to resolve contract situations at the clubs while a number of fringe players could be on the move.

The Reds have already agreed to extend Rhys Williams’ loan with League Two side Morecambe while defender Calvin Ramsay has seen his loan at Wigan Athletic cut short with Liverpool seeking to send the 21-year-old back out on loan. Stefan Bajcetic is linked with joining another club in January after moving to Red Bull Salzburg on loan in the summer. It has also been reported that Marcelo Pitaluga is set to depart the club and return to Fluminense.

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There is of course the not so minor issue of agreeing new deals with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah with the trio all in the final months of their respective contracts at Anfield. It was reported by David Ornstein earlier this week that Van Dijk and Salah are both expected to agree two-year deals to extend their time on Merseyside but doubt remains over the future of academy graduate Alexander-Arnold.

Liverpool ‘offer’ Alexander-Arnold five-year contract ‘worth £78m’

According to the Mirror, Liverpool have offered their star right-back a mammoth five-year deal worth £78m to try and convince him to snub Real Madrid. The La Liga giants have made an approach to sign the defender this month but that has been firmly knocked back by Liverpool who are not set to entertain any offers for the England international halfway through the season. The Champions League holders are set to offer up to £20m for Alexander-Arnold this month despite him being available for nothing come the end of the season.

The report adds that Madrid have offered Alexander-Arnold a deal worth roughly the same amount per week but that he could land a big signing bonus if he joins the Spanish club as a free agent in the summer. Salah and Van Dijk have been more vocal when it comes to their futures at the club when questions are put to them but Alexander-Arnold has said he will keep any talks private, stating previously: “I have signed four or five contract extensions and none of those have been played out in public – and this one won’t be either.” All three players are free to discuss and agree pre-contract deals with any club outside of England.

Napoli ‘open talks’ to sign Chiesa on loan

Federico Chiesa of Liverpool arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leicester City FC at Anfield on December 26, 2024 in Liverpool, England.Federico Chiesa of Liverpool arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leicester City FC at Anfield on December 26, 2024 in Liverpool, England.
Federico Chiesa of Liverpool arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leicester City FC at Anfield on December 26, 2024 in Liverpool, England. | Liverpool FC via Getty Images202

Liverpool summer signing Federico Chiesa is reportedly keen to move back to Italy, just six months after joining the Reds from Juventus in a £12m deal. The Italian international, who was part of his country’s Euro 2020 success, has made just four appearances for Liverpool this season. Two of those have come in the Carabao Cup with one appearance in the Premier League and Champions League.

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His time at Anfield has been impacted heavily by injury and Footmercato claim his agent has opened talks with Napoli about a six-month loan move to the Serie A club. A host of Italian top-flight clubs have been credited with an interest in the player, including Roma, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atalanta and Fiorentina.

Speaking after Chiesa’s return against Southampton last month, manager Arne Slot said: “I think what I saw is what you can expect. If a player is out for five or six months, you cannot expect [him to be at his best straight away]. I saw ups and downs. I saw some really good moments and I saw some moments where I felt like, ‘OK, you can do better than this’. For me, that’s completely normal if a player’s been out for so long, plays his first game in five or six months probably. I already said before that that makes it also so difficult for me because normally in a pre-season a player gets three, four or five games, especially. And then he’s only had four or five weeks now he’s out for so long, so to get him back to his best level is not easy but it was good to see that he showed some quality already today.”

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