Liverpool 'make contact' with potential Trent Alexander-Arnold replacement available for huge cut price
Liverpool are looking for new right-backs to potentially replace Trent Alexander-Arnold this summer.
Liverpool are on the market for a new right-back as the likelihood of Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving the club this summer increases.
The Reds vice-captain has been linked with a move to Real Madrid for months now, and new reports have suggested a move is close to being finalised. BBC Sport reported at the end of March that conversations between the two parties are ‘reaching the closing stages’ but an official deal is yet to be finalised.
Ahead of what now seems to be the inevitable announcement of Alexander-Arnold’s departure, Liverpool are scouring the market for his replacement. A number of names have been discussed recently, from those that will command a blockbuster fee, to options available at a reduced price.
Liverpool ‘make contact’ over new right-back
The Reds have already ‘made contact’ over a player that falls into the latter category. According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool are exploring the potential option of SC Freiburg’s Kiliann Sildillia. The club have ‘already made contact’ with the 22-year-old, whose contract is due to expire next summer.
As he approaches the final 12 months of his deal, Sildillia could be made available for a discounted price once the market opens. Liverpool have gotten in touch with the defender’s representatives as they reportedly view him as a player who could arrive at Anfield and ‘make an instant impact’. The Reds also feel he is someone who is ready to step up to the demands of the Premier League.
Freiburg have been trying to tie Sildillia down with a new deal but with no agreement reached, they could be forced to cash in once the window opens for business. The Bundesliga side could sell Sildillia for as little as £12 million, which would be a bargain price for Premier League clubs willing to spend big.
Liverpool’s other right-back options
Many are arguing that Conor Bradley is ready to make the step up to replace Alexander-Arnold. The rapidly rising star has already impressed in the absence of Liverpool’s No.66 but it remains to be seen if Arne Slot will put his full faith in Bradley or opt for a new recruit.
However, with both Alexander-Arnold and Bradley both recently injured, the manager deployed Curtis Jones at right-back in their recent clashes with Everton and Fulham. Bradley was back on the bench for the latter appearance and was brought on after the hour mark, while Alexander-Arnold is still out of action.
Reflecting on his new improvised role at right-back, Jones told the club: “I just want to go and play and help the team as much as I can. Of course I want to play eight or ten or even six, but there are lads in there who are doing a fantastic job so I’ve just got to wait for my chance. Of course I back myself all the time but at the end of the day it is the choice of the manager and his staff, and he knows what he thinks is best for the team. I respect that and I just always wait until he needs me.”
“They were going long all the time so I was finding myself at the back a lot, at the back post, and I was clearing things, I was stopping shots and crosses and things like that. That’s part of the game and part of a right-back as well. He has trusted me in there so I have to do a job.”