A title-winning player who “brings a lot of joy” is interested in joining Liverpool this summer, reliable journalist David Ornstein has claimed.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has decided to leave his boyhood club, in a decision that has felt inevitable for a little while now, with the 26-year-old expected to join Real Madrid.
It means that Liverpool may now be on the search for a new right-back, in order to ensure that Conor Bradley has competition, especially considering the Northern Irishman is still a young player learning his trade.
Speaking on NBC Sports [via The Boot Room], Ornstein said that Bayer Leverkusen ace Jeremie Frimpong, who has a £30m release clause, is “keen” on joining the Reds, should they look to sign him at the end of the season:
“If they went for something different, something more multi-faceted, there are players potentially on the market like a Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen.
“He has a €35 million (£30m) release clause, something in the region of that, as I understand it. I also believe that he would be keen on a move to Liverpool, if they decide to go down that route. They will have other options as well, but Frimpong has been mentioned in a number of reports so far.”
Is Frimpong the ideal Trent replacement?
Frimpong could be such an exciting replacement for Alexander-Arnold in the summer, depending on what type of right-back Arne Slot intends to sign.
The Dutchman has invariably played as a wing-back for Leverkusen, winning the Bundesliga title last season and registering 44 assists for them in total, while Xabi Alonso is a big admirer, saying of him:
“Since I got here for the first time, since the first day, Jeremie has been a key player for us and for myself. He’s a great guy, His personality, he brings a lot of joy to the locker room. So you need to keep him having this joy. But as well as become more mature.”
At 24, Frimpong is two years Alexander-Arnold’s junior, and would come in as a long-term option instead of a quick fix, but the one risk is that he hasn’t played as a right-back too often of late.
He would bring bags of quality in an attacking sense, though, and if Liverpool could also sign a new left-back – Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez is arguably the ideal option – the Reds could have their full-back situation sorted for years to come.
