Certainty around the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold could be provided well in advance of the final game of the season, Liverpool expert David Lynch has claimed.
After beating Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 on Sunday, the Reds' status as Premier League champions was confirmed, winning their second title since 2019-20.
Right-back Alexander-Arnold was seen celebrating passionately in the aftermath, but with the Merseysiders' first-placed finish now assured, attention could soon turn to the Englishman's future considering his contract is set to expire in the summer amidst links to Real Madrid.
Lynch told Sports Mole that fans are unlikely to have to wait until the final game of the season for certainty on his future but added that he would be shocked if the defender stayed at Anfield, saying: "The thing with Trent is until he signs that Real Madrid contract, which he's verbally agreed, then there's a chance, but it would be a huge U-turn from here. It would be a massive shock if he were to do that.
"We can never say never until it's absolutely signed, so we'll see what happens with that, and what he's going to do if he is going to leave is that he clearly has to make that decision now and make his announcement before that final Anfield game. We're not too far away from finding out if he is going to leave."
Liverpool play Crystal Palace in their final match of 2024-25 in late May, and it would be surprising if no announcement was made before that home clash.
What about Robertson?
While Alexander-Arnold's potential exit from Liverpool has often grabbed headlines, the future of left-back Andrew Robertson has also come under the microscope.
The duo have been at the heart of the Reds' success, but Robertson is now 31 years old and has arguably declined significantly from a defensive perspective, with the Scotsman encountering difficulties more frequently against opposition wingers.
Lynch acknowledged that 2024-25 is likely to be the final season in which either full-back is seen in first team, telling Sports Mole: "This is going to be the summer where [Robertson] gets pushed to the fringes. He's an unbelievable professional, and for all the talk about the need to upgrade - and that is what Liverpool are planning - he has still been part of a team that could get 94 points.
"How bad can he have been in that left-back role? We're still talking about someone who, OK, he's not at the peak level where you couldn't beat him, every cross was pinpoint, but he's still a top-class left-back who would improve many sides in the Premier League. Liverpool are lucky to have him, and if he does get relegated to a role where he's more of a backup next season, what a backup that is to have.
"This isn't the end for Andy Robertson, but he's clearly not going to be as involved for next season. That's the plan for Liverpool, and I think you can say about those two as a full-back partnership is they've been world class down the years and so consistent for such a long time. Liverpool have been very fortunate to have them."
Robertson has played 249 Premier League games for Liverpool since arriving in the summer of 2017 while Alexander-Arnold has featured in 256 top-flight matches for the club.
Who could Liverpool sign to play at full-back?
While Conor Bradley might seem to be the natural successor to Alexander-Arnold, the situation at left-back is less certain given Kostas Tsimikas has yet to prove he is capable of stepping up in Robertson's absence.
Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez has been strongly linked with a move to Anfield in the summer, and if boss Arne Slot is on the lookout for a stylistically similar player to Robertson, then it is hard to imagine a better fit.
However, Lynch cautioned fans against assuming Kerkez will be the main target when he told Sports Mole: "I wouldn't say it's nailed on to be Kerkez yet. I know there's a lot of talk about it, and he is without a doubt a target in the sense that Liverpool have watched him closely. They definitely like him as a player, fits the age profile.
"But people are getting carried away on the idea that it's definitely going to be him. There are other clubs in contention for him. There are other left-backs Liverpool like as well. They've watched Gutierrez a few times this season at Girona. Rayan Ait-Nouri has been on the radar for a while at Wolves. They've watched him for a long time.
"[It is] all dependent on price point, availability, when you can get the deals done, what they think is a better fit for them. I wouldn't say by any means that Kerkez is nailed on. We could be sitting here in two or three months' time and he could be Liverpool's new left-back, that absolutely could happen, but I don't think it's an open and shut case."
Slot's style of play asks the team's full-backs to be more comfortable on the ball than previous boss Jurgen Klopp's did, so perhaps Liverpool will look for a left-back that is more confident in possession. body check tags ::
