In addition to the uncertainty surrounding the futures of captain Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, are coming under more scrutiny when it was revealed Tuesday morning that Trent Alexander-Arnold had verbally agreed to join Real Madrid this summer.
Liverpool supporters have long anticipated this news, and although the team is still in the lead for a second Premier League championship in five years, an extraordinary roster reorganisation this summer now seems likely. Many Anfield supporters may doubt their star right-back’s devotion to the team that developed him, but the owners are also coming under fire since they haven’t shown a strong financial commitment to landing three of Arne Slot’s most important players.
🚨💣 Trent Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid, closer and closer after story revealed 1 year ago.
The official contract proposal from Real has been sent to TAA and his camp.
Discussions underway on details of the deal; all parties involved CONFIDENT to get the agreement done. pic.twitter.com/jlXHEzP2MX
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 25, 2025
However, recent sources now indicate that in an attempt to retain the 26-year-old at his boyhood club, Liverpool did, in fact, make Alexander-Arnold an offer of a lucrative new contract.
What Liverpool Offered Alexander-Arnold Before Real Madrid Deal
The right-back was set to become the highest-paid Englishman in the Premier League
In an attempt to retain Trent Alexander-Arnold at Anfield, the team offered to make him the highest-paid English player in the Premier League, according to TBR Football. Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish, who both make £300,000 a week, currently hold that title.
Alexander-Arnold would have been one of the top five earners in the league if he had agreed. In order to prevent any potential animosity, the same source asserts that Liverpool has been kept updated on the conversations between their star right-back and Real Madrid.
If Alexander-Arnold accepted a Liverpool contract, the highest-paid players in the Premier League would
Rank
The player
Club
Weekly pay
1.
Haaland, Erling
City of Manchester
£500,000
2.
De Bruyne, Kevin
City of Manchester
£400,000
= 3.
Salah Mo
Liverpool
£350,000
= 3.
Casemiro
United Manchester
£350,000
5.
Alexander-Arnold, Trent
Liverpool
Over £300,000
= 6.
Rashford, Marcus
United Manchester
£300,000.
= 6.
Grealish, Jack
City of Manchester
£300,000.
= 6.
Fernandes Bruno
United Manchester
£300,000.
= 6.
Silva, Bernardo
City of Manchester
£300,000.
Furthermore, it was rumoured that Los Blancos and Alexander-Arnold had decided to keep the agreement a secret until it was formally confirmed in the summer. But according to information already released by Spanish media, the defender will join England colleague Jude Bellingham at the Bernabeu starting in the 2025–2026 campaign.
