'Complete head loss' - Liverpool warned letting Trent Alexander-Arnold join Real Madrid for free would be madness as former Reds star tells Arne Slot to cash in on 'world-class' defender in January

Alexander-Arnold has been linked with a move away from Liverpool, with Real Madrid being the favourites to secure the signature of the English defender. The Reds want to retain the services of the England international and are trying to convince him to put pen to paper on a new contract, but time is running out with his contract set to expire next summer.

If the 26-year-old does not sign a new contract by December, from the start of the new year, he will be free to negotiate terms with an overseas club. Amid the contract saga, ex-England and Reds star Johnson has advised the club to cash in on the player if they receive a big offer.

When asked if the Merseyside club should consider selling Alexander-Arnold, Johnson told Betfred: "Yes, absolutely. They’d have been having talks that we’re not aware of for sure because you can’t allow players to get so far into their contract when they’re so valuable. It would be a complete head loss to let him go for free. Nobody wants to see him leave, but you may as well cash in because they know something’s going on already. I don’t know if Trent wants to leave or the club are happy for him to leave, but it would be stupid for Liverpool to not cash in if he is going to leave when his contract expires."

He added: "You never want to lose your best players, but I don’t know if it would make much of a difference to Liverpool if he leaves in January or at the end of the season if he was planning to leave the club. It would have an impact overall because you never want to see your best players go and you don’t want to let them go easily."

Slot's men, who currently enjoy a one-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, will be next seen in action against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.