Trent Alexander-Arnold helps SEAL new Mo Salah contract

Liverpool fans are barely coming to terms with the bombshell news that Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to join Real Madrid.

The 26-year-old right-back looks set to bring an end to a long and fruitful reign at his boyhood club, which brought with it all the major honours available to him in the game.

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Club bosses have been unsuccessful in their attempts to persuade Trent to renew his contract - last signed in 2021 - and due to expire this summer.

The England international has been on a reported £180,000 per week for the duration of this Liverpool contract and would have required a significant pay rise even in the event he stayed.

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Madrid will improve Alexander-Arnold’s basic wage and will also give him a sizeable signing-on fee. Under the current financial paradigm at Anfield, there is simply no way Liverpool could have competed had it come down to money.

But losing Trent could now come with an unexpected upside.

Liverpool's sky-high salary crisis

That’s because he’s not the only Liverpool first-team star with an expiring contract in summer 2025. Captain Virgil van Dijk and star forward Mohamed Salah are also coming to the end of their contracts.

Van Dijk earns over £220,000 per week while Salah is raking in £350,000.

Liverpool have one of the highest wage bills in world football and given their lack of Champions League football last season - not to mention several transfer requirements this summer - and it’s impossible to see how they could afford to renew Trent, Van Dijk and Salah.

But the right-back’s exit gives them a certain amount of extra budget which, according to a new report, will allow them to complete a deal to keep Salah.

There had been a major standoff between the club and Salah’s entourage with the sides far apart on their valuation of a new deal.

The Egyptian King has been the Reds’ player of the season - with over 50 goal contributions thus far - and is a large part of why they are headed to the Premier League title.

Liverpool can now afford to renew Salah

And now Masrawy in Egypt is claiming that the loss of Trent’s wages from the books frees up enough money to give Salah what he wants from negotiations.

“A source told Masrawy exclusively that Liverpool's management has opened negotiations with Mohamed Salah's agent, Ramy Abbas, to renew the Egyptian star's contract with the club during this period,” the report reads.

“Negotiations between Liverpool and Ramy Abbas are far more advanced than ever, and the offer presented is higher than any previous offer made to the player.

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“Trent Alexander-Arnold's imminent departure from Liverpool will be a significant factor in Salah's contract renewal as the team's high salaries will be reduced, allowing the Egyptian star to get what he wants in his new contract with the Reds."

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This is mixed news for Liverpool fans; on one hand they are facing the loss of one of their most beloved homegrown stars. But on the other it means they can renew Salah and - hopefully - see him dominate the scoring charts for a few more seasons yet.