Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold will be in demand if he allows his contract to expire in the summer of 2025 and the Reds are willing to pay a £34.7m release clause to secure his replacement.
Alexander-Arnold has been at Liverpool since he was six years old but has shown no sign of agreeing a new deal, with Real Madrid among the clubs interested in taking him away from Anfield.
Real are facing a huge injury crisis after defender Eder Militao was stretchered off with an ACL injury to add to Dani Carvajal's own ACL injury and fellow right-back Lucas Vazquez being ruled out for a month and there has even been talk of the reigning Champions League winners bringing forward their interest in Alexander-Arnold as a result.
And with Real set to step up their efforts to prise the 26-year-old away from Anfield, a report in the Daily Mail claims Liverpool are primed to turn their attentions to Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen.
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Frimpong, who left Celtic to join Leverkusen in 2021 and became a double winner last season is said to be at the top of the list of possible replacements and the Bhoys stand to benefit from any deal that takes him to Anfield.
Netherlands international Frimpong was previously part of Manchester City's Under-21 side before he signed for Celtic in 2019 and won the treble in his first season in Scotland. In 2023/24, he was part of the Leverkusen team that went unbeaten in the Bundesliga under Liverpool legend Xabi Alonso.
Alexander-Arnold has won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League with his boyhood club and, at 26, is in line for the most lucrative move of his career. If he does leave Anfield, Alexander-Arnold will want to sign off by helping Arne Slot and the Reds regain the Premier League title. He sustained a hamstring injury in their most recent fixture against Aston Villa.
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Frimpong is seen as a suitable successor to Alexander-Arnold, offering pace going forward as well as defensive capabilities and the versatility that makes Alexander-Arnold such an asset for Liverpool but difficult to place for consecutive England managers. The Dutchman, who turns 24 in December, can play anywhere on the right wing and has filled in on the left. He has a goal and three assists to his name in the Bundesliga this season.
Alexander-Arnold's goal contributions are lower but he's played a huge part in Liverpool heading into the November international break with a five-point lead over Manchester City in the Premier League.
Frimpong and Leverkusen agreed a contract extension in 2023 that runs until the summer of 2028. Xabi Alonso might not appreciate his former club triggering its release clause but Celtic are expected to benefit. They reportedly have a 30% sell-on if Frimpong leaves Leverkusen, promising a substantial windfall as they seek to strengthen their grip on the Scottish title.
Topics: Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Chris Nee