Chelsea star shoots to top of Liverpool wishlist as Slot rules out move for elite Bayer Leverkusen man

Liverpool manager Arne Slot is reported to have ruled his side OUT of the running to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong in 2025 if he needs to bring in a replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, and with a Chelsea star seemingly moving to the top of his wanted list that contains three other names.

Reds vice-captain Alexander-Arnold falls out of contract at Anfield at the end of the current campaign and will be eligible to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with an overseas side of his choosing from January – now an alarming 14 days away. As a result, Liverpool are fearful that their influential star – who has contributed towards 103 goals from 329 appearances for the club – could walk away as a free agent at the end of the current campaign.

Those fears have heightened in recent days amid a worrying claim on Tuesday that suggested Alexander-Arnold has rejected their latest contract proposal and there remains a huge £100,000 a week difference between the two parties. And with Real Madrid lurking menacingly in the shadows, the prospect of the 26-year-old departing for the Bernabeu at the end of the current campaign is becoming a more tangible outcome.

As a result, Liverpool have been doing their due diligence on several potential replacements, which was understood to have placed Frimpong right at the very top.

However, Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has revealed that Frimpong has now been ruled out by Reds boss Slot, who while admires the player, will decide to pursue other options if he needs to find a heir to Alexander-Arnold.

‘Liverpool are impressed by Jeremie Frimpong’s development and performances at Bayer 04 Leverkusen. However, the 24y/o right wing-back is currently not a concrete transfer target for the summer, primarily because Arne Slot prefers a traditional right-back in a back four, and Frimpong’s role does not currently fit into LFC’s system,” Plettenberg wrote on X.

As a result, the player now firmly placed at the top of Slot’s wishlist is now understood to be Chelsea star Malo Gusto, with journalist Simon Phillips revealing over the weekend that they could test the Blues’ resolve to keep the Frenchman by launching a titanic bid for his services.

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Liverpool have three other names on their wishlist to replace Alexander-Arnold

Per TEAMtalk transfer insider, Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has been working hard to assess would-be successors to Alexander-Arnold at Anfield were the homegrown star to move on.

And in his article earlier this month, he named three other names on the Reds’ radar ahead of the summer window.

Indeed, per Galetti, the other names being considered are Amar Dedic (RB Salzburg), Vanderson (Monaco) and Lutsharel Geertruida (RB Leipzig) – the latter of whom knows Slot well from their time together at Feyenoord.

Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, has certainly showed his admiration for Slot by going public on the impressive changes he has made at Anfield and how he has improved him as a player from dedicated sessions at their Kirkby training complex.

“The level of detail he has… I find myself smiling about it because that’s the kind of thing that I really enjoy. It’s just football in like a very, very in-depth level. I could tell from the first time I met him that I was going to enjoy playing under him and being a part of this,” he commented.

“He has explained a lot about how positioning is so important in football and where you are. Even when the ball’s completely on the other side, where you need to be. And that changes throughout games, and for each and every game depending on how the opposition is set up.”

“It depends on the opposition, so it changes a lot and that’s something that I like – to be challenged and have to think about things during games and feel like I’m being challenged. So, it’s something that I think suits my style of personality.

“I have been at the club 20 years now, I have signed four or five contract extensions and none of those have been played out in public – and this one won’t be either.”

Latest Liverpool news: Salah to stay with eight clubs rejected

Meanwhile, better news appears to be around the corner for Liverpool as far as Mo Salah is concerned with a report claiming he is on the cusp of agreeing a new deal after a major intervention by John Henry and with eight clubs the Egyptian has rejected to stay at Anfield also coming to light.

Claims he has signed a new deal at Anfield have been given further substance by Premier League legend Sergio Aguero, who has shared what he has heard over the 32-year-old’s imminent extension.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have been urged to ‘cut their losses’ on big-money striker Darwin Nunez and replace him with a Premier League star who ‘always scores’ against them.

And finally, Jamie Carragher has gone public with his endorsement of a reported Liverpool move to sign Bournemouth star Milos Kerkez – a story first revealed by TEAMtalk – as a replacement for Andy Robertson at left-back.

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