Arne Slot in dreamland as Liverpool see off Real Madrid and close on record-breaking deal

Liverpool are preparing the biggest contract in the club’s history in order to convince a bona fide superstar to sign up, while a fresh report claims Real Madrid will not pose a threat despite claims to the contrary.

It’s been a frustrating summer for Liverpool fans thus far, with the club yet to sign a single player. Martin Zubimendi was installed as the club’s primary target for the all-important No 6 position in Arne Slot’s side.

However, despite Zubimendi verbally giving his word he would join Liverpool, the 25-year-old backtracked and elected to stay loyal to Real Sociedad.

Rather than sign the next best option, Liverpool have reportedly abandoned their attempts to sign a new midfielder this window.

There is positive news elsewhere, with Liverpool striking an agreement on personal terms with Valencia goalkeeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Talks regarding the transfer fee are now underway and what the move means for the futures of Alisson Becker and Caoimhin Kelleher has been revealed.

But while signing Mamardashvili will undoubtedly represent a colossal coup for the Reds, retaining the superstars already at the club is equally important.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are all out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 season. As such, the trio can all sign pre-contract agreements with overseas clubs from January 1.

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Liverpool first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Van Dijk recently revealed he’s not yet been offered a new deal by Liverpool. Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, was believed to have become a major transfer target at Real Madrid.

Carlo Ancelotti’s all-conquering side had earmarked Alexander-Arnold for either a cut-price transfer this summer, or a free agent swoop 11 months from now.

Liverpool see off Real Madrid threat

Losing a homegrown superstar like Alexander-Arnold would be disastrous for Liverpool and doubly so if they didn’t generate a fee.

However, according to a fresh update from the Daily Mail’s Merseyside correspondent, Lewis Steele, Real Madrid have cooled their interest in the right-back.

Whether that relates to cooling their interest in signing the player this summer or altogether wasn’t made clear.

Nonetheless, with a move to Real Madrid clearly not on the agenda before the August 30 deadline, Liverpool now have an opportunity to tie Alexander-Arnold down to fresh terms without the spectre of Real Madrid hanging over their shoulder.

Alexander-Arnold to sign biggest deal in Liverpool history

A prior report from Football Insider claimed Liverpool were planning to hand Alexander-Arnold the biggest contract in the club’s history.

A more recent update from FI stated progress in discussions between the player’s camp and Liverpool has been made and there is confidence on both sides that an agreement will be reached within the next few months.

Furthermore, TEAMtalk was then able to verify that further talks have been scheduled and Liverpool chiefs remain calm and confident Alexander-Arnold will sign on the dotted line.

Real Madrid very rarely fail to get their man in the market, as Liverpool have found out to their cost in the cases of Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham.

Tchouameni was Liverpool’s primary midfield target in 2022. Bellingham was their No 1 option in 2023. Both chose to sign with Real Madrid despite Liverpool making superior bids and offering higher salaries.

However, Los Blancos do look like they’ll miss out on Alexander-Arnold and the Mail’s claim they’ve cooled their interest may be a response to realising Alexander-Arnold intends to re-sign with the Reds.

EURO PAPER TALK: Liverpool confident of signing electric forward after rival bid rejected; Tottenham in talks for Brazilian capture