Liverpool have confirmed that they have handed full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold a bumper new contract that will see him join the ranks of the club's highest earners.
Alexander-Arnold has been the star graduate of the Liverpool academy set-up in recent years, establishing himself in Jurgen Klopp's first team and helping the club to Champions League and Premier League success.
Now he will join Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah on the top tier of the club's wage structure after signing a new four-year deal, with the 22-year-old a perfect model of the kind of player Liverpool's owners are keen to embrace as they look to develop players that retain a high potential sell-on value.
“I'm honoured to be given the opportunity and to be shown the trust in the club to be given an extension, so it was a no-brainer for me,” Alexander-Arnold told the Liverpool website.
“The state the club is in and where I'm at in my career is always a good option for me. To extend and make sure I'm here longer is always a good thing. I'm made up.
“It's the only club I've ever really known, so to be here for this amount of time and extending to be here for a longer amount of time is amazing for me and my family.
“It's a proud moment for me – it always is – signing a new contract here. To be given the trust, like I said before, by the club and the staff is an amazing feeling.”
Signed and sealed. Red born and bred 2025 🤝🔴 pic.twitter.com/7d8fLMv8Hc
— Trent Alexander-Arnold (@TrentAA) July 30, 2021
Given his age and his qualities, Alexander-Arnold's new contract was always likely to be agreed this summer, but there are doubts over what happens next to several of Liverpool's star names.
Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah all have two years left on their current Liverpool deals and there is an expectation that at least two of those players will not sign new contracts with the club.
Captain Henderson has been linked with a move away from Liverpool this summer, while Salah continues to be linked with a move away from Liverpool.
I'm honoured to be given the opportunity and to be shown the trust in the club to be given an extension, so it was a no-brainer for meTrent Alexander-Arnold on signing his new contract
Van Dijk is expected to pen a new contract with talks planned over a new deal, but the six players mentioned are all either approaching or beyond their 30th birthday and Liverpool's owners have a policy of not handing long-term deals to players at that stage of their career.
That is why Gini Wijnaldum left the club on a free transfer this summer and explains why they may consider a sale of star players if there is an expectation that may try and run down their contracts and leave as free agents.
With Kylian Mbappe reportedly telling Paris Saint-Germain he won't extend his contract that is due to expire next summer, his move this summer could trigger a ripple effect across European football that could see PSG make a move to Salah.
So Liverpool will soon have decisions to make over key players, with the club keen to drive down the average age of a squad that has crept up over the last couple of years.