Alexander-Arnold ‘fully committed’ to Liverpool amid interest from Real Madrid | Football news

Liverpool manager Arne Slott says defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is not concerned about rumors of a move to Real Madrid.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is fully committed to Liverpool, his coach Arne Slott has said, amid rumors of interest in the England right-back, including from European champions Real Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold’s contract with the Reds expires at the end of the season, so he is now free to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club, outside England, if he wishes.

Real Madrid reportedly want to sign him, and the Spanish club were rebuffed when they conducted an initial investigation into the 26-year-old in late December.

Slott was asked about the defender’s situation in a press conference ahead of Liverpool’s match against Manchester United in the English Premier League on Sunday, and he said he had a conversation with Alexander-Arnold but did not divulge any details.

When asked if Alexander-Arnold would stay at Liverpool beyond January, Slott only said: “I can tell you he will play on Sunday and hopefully he will put in the same performances as he did in the last half year.

“Everyone saw how great the first half of the season was, how great he was here, how much he wanted to win here. I see him on the training field every day… He is fully committed to us.”

Slott added that he is sure that Madrid’s pursuit of Alexander-Arnold does not affect the defender. “If talking about them destabilizes the players at Liverpool, then we’re really going to have a problem,” Slott said. “Because if you play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, everyone will always talk about you, for 12 months, sometimes in relation to other clubs.

He added: “This happens far too often to our players, so if it destabilizes them, we will really have a problem, not just now but over the last six months.”

Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk’s contracts with Liverpool will also expire at the end of the season.