Liverpool recently received a terrible transfer scenario that they must avoid

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract with Liverpool expires in the summer, and Real Madrid is purportedly keeping an eye on him.

If Liverpool’s Champions League schedule is revealed on Saturday, they may be in for something of a nightmare. The Reds found out their eight league phase opponents in Thursday’s draw following the expanded tournament’s overhaul for this season.

Arne Slot’s team’s most difficult matches are against AC Milan away from home and Real Madrid, the defending European champions, and Bayer Leverkusen, led by Xabi Alonso, at Anfield. Merseyside will also host Lille and Bologna, while Liverpool will travel to play RB Leipzig, PSV Eindhoven, and Girona.

The 36-team Champions League competition will conclude with teams playing their last two league games at the end of January.

And if rumours about the fate of some of their best players persist, that might put the Reds in a difficult situation.

Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Virgil van Dijk all have contracts expiring in the summer of 2022, therefore they can begin negotiating pre-contract deals with foreign teams in January.

All three have previously been connected to Real Madrid, but the England international is supposedly the one the La Liga powerhouses are keeping an eye on as they assess his circumstances in advance of his contract expiring at the end of the current campaign.

With the last two league games slated for January 21/22 and January 29, and Liverpool’s home match against Real Madrid set for the end of January, the La Liga powerhouses would have time to discuss a potential Bosman transfer with Alexander-Arnold before travelling to Anfield.

Therefore, when Real Madrid and the defence square up, it’s probable that the defender has already reached an agreement. As officials from the major La Liga teams will already be in the city, an on-field encounter between the two parties may also pave the way for a future meeting between the player and the club.

Then take into account the fact that Alexander-Arnold has already lost two Champions League finals to Real Madrid and has twice been knocked out of the competition by the Spanish teams.

If the defender is considering where he wants to spend his next phase of career and which team would provide him the most chance to win major awards down the road, the emotional effect of a second meeting with the La Liga powerhouses cannot be understated.

Even though their vice captain’s future is still unknown, the Reds should avoid playing such speculative scenarios as they could become an increasingly unwelcome distraction.

Following up on the ECHO’s report from last month that there was no indication Alexander-Arnold was considering leaving, the defender has made it his mission to keep negotiations about his future private out of respect for the team he grew up playing for.

But as long as there is unresolved question about his contract status, speculation and concern over his future will inevitably persist.

Given that the aforementioned trio would be free to agree on Bosman transfers in 123 days starting on January 1, there would be considerably more attention paid to their expiring contracts once the transfer window shuts.

Following Liverpool’s Premier League debut triumph away at Ipswich Town, Van Dijk and Salah have both danced around recent concerns regarding their futures, while Alexander-Arnold has completely sidestepped them. Slot and Richard Hughes, the sporting director, have similarly evaded any similar enquiries on the trio who will shortly be out of contract.

Real Madrid’s trip to Merseyside serves as a timely reminder of a threat the Reds may need to fend off off the pitch in the months to come, even though it is by no means a certain that the team will visit Anfield in January. Perhaps further incentive has been provided by the Champions League to decide Alexander-Arnold’s future as quickly as possible.

After all, the sight of the Liverpool vice captain signing a contract with his boyhood club as soon as possible will be the only thing that will put an end to the aforementioned rumours and uncertainties and eliminate any potential distractions in the process.