Danny Murphy has urged Liverpool to explore a move for Chelsea full-back Malo Gusto if Trent Alexander-Arnold leaves at the end of the season.
Alexander-Arnold has been virtually ever-present this season and has played a crucial role in Arne Slot’s superb start at Anfield.
The full-back has four assists in 15 Premier League games to help his side top the table on Christmas Day for the first time since the 2020/21 season.
Despite his impressive performances, there is an air of uncertainty around the 26-year-old’s long-term future at his boyhood club.
Along with key duo Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold has only six months left on his contract and could leave for free in the summer.
Contact negotiations with Liverpool are still ongoing but Alexander-Arnold will soon be able to talk to clubs in Europe about a pre-contract agreement ahead of a free transfer next summer.
Should that occur, Real Madrid are the heavy favourites to secure the Englishman’s signature as they search for a long-term replacement for veteran full-back Dani Carvajal.
And former Liverpool midfielder Murphy reckons that Alexander-Arnold is likely to move to Spain despite his deep-rooted affinity with the Merseyside club.
‘My gut feeling is that he’s going to go. I think if he were to stay that would probably have been sorted by now,’ he told MyBettingSites.co.uk
‘There does seem to be a little bit of contention around certain supporters who think he should stay and he owes the club but the reality is the club have let him get to this position.
‘They should have tied him up a long time ago. It’s a difficult one and quite unusual for Liverpool to have let this one happen. They should learn from it and it shouldn’t happen again.’
Should Alexander-Arnold depart the club in the summer, Liverpool will be faced with a big hole to fill in their defence.
Fellow academy graduate Conor Bradley has impressed when deputising for Alexander-Arnold, most notably against Real Madrid in the Champions League in November.
But while Murphy believes that Bradley has plenty of potential, the former England star questioned whether the 21-year-old could be relied upon consistently at this early state of his career.
‘In terms of replacing him, obviously they’ve got Conor Bradley there who’s a fantastic young full-back who has different attributes but still looks a wonderful player,’ Murphy said.
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‘I think it would be unfair to think he can walk into the team and fill Trent’s boots, week in and week out.
‘I think if Trent was to leave, they’d have to dip into the transfer market and get someone in to share that role or compete with Conor Bradley for that role, or take over it.
‘Not that I don’t have belief in Conor Bradley but he’s only just started establishing himself in the squad. I think they’d already be planning for it, if he does go.’
And should the Reds decide to dip into the market, Murphy reckons that Chelsea full-back Gusto should be at the top of their shortlist.
The Frenchman has impressed greatly at Stamford Bridge since signing from Lyon in January 2023 and has become a first-team regular as club captain Reece James continues to struggle with injury.
The 21-year-old has a contract with the Blues until 2030, with Murphy conceding that Liverpool would have to put together a fairly-sizeable offer to prise him away from Chelsea.
‘Malo Gusto would be a very interesting option but I don’t see how Chelsea would let him go,’ he added. ‘The biggest compliment you can pay to Gusto is that not many people have talked about Reece James’ absence any more.
‘Gusto has impressed me. I’ve seen him live twice this season and four-five times on television. I think he’s got that lovely balance of being really good going forward, getting in great attacking areas, good delivery and one-on-one defending.
‘He’d be perfect but I don’t see Chelsea letting it happen where he walks out of the door and joins their competitors. But with PSR rules and the way football is now, you never know.’
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