Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has refused to be drawn on reports that the club are close to a deal with Bayer Leverkusen over right-back Jeremie Frimpong but insists his team are well-equipped to handle the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Alexander-Arnold confirmed earlier this month he is set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, with the defender expected to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer.
Sources have told ESPN Liverpool are in advanced negotiations to sign Frimpong as Alexander-Arnold’s replacement, with the Anfield club prepared to trigger his £30 million ($40m) release clause.
However, Slot remained coy when asked about the Netherlands international in a news conference on Friday, highlighting several players within his squad who can play at right-back.
“It’s going to be boring answer,” Slot said. “For whole season it was about contract extensions and now we’re arriving at a time where everyone wants to know who we’re bringing in. We don’t talk about the players we want to bring in until the moment they’ve signed for us, and then you can ask me everything you want to about them.
“What I can tell you is we already have Conor Bradley who can play really good in that position. Joe Gomez has also played in that position multiple times, so it is not like once Trent leaves, I have no clue what to do anymore. But as a club we are always looking at interesting players who can strengthen our squad.”
Alexander-Arnold was booed by a section of Liverpool fans when he was introduced as a substitute in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield.
With both Slot and his players having been granted much of this week off to celebrate their Premier League title win, the Liverpool boss said he is yet to make a decision on whether the England international will feature in Monday’s clash with Brighton.
“As you know, I wasn’t here the last few days. Neither was Trent, so today is the first day we come back together,” Slot said. “It’s the first day we train after a few days off, so it’s quite early to say what the team and squad will look like for Monday.
“Last week, people talked about [Alexander-Arnold] to me and we had the reaction from the fans in the stadium, which was different; positive and negative. Then all the pundits talked about it.
“The whole country talked about it, and I think now it’s time to draw a line under that. Let’s focus now on the fact we’ve won the league and focus on that feeling and not be distracted that much by Trent’s situation.”
