With Trent Alexander-Arnold still on course to become a free agent at the end of the season, Liverpool are reportedly plotting a summer swoop to sign a potential replacement worth £25m with his club ready to sell.

Liverpool transfer news

The Reds took one step closer to Premier League glory at the first time of asking under Arne Slot last weekend, as Arsenal slipped up yet again. With just five wins and a draw needed to secure the silverware, Liverpool look more certain than they have done since their dominant 2019/20 campaign to take their seat on the throne of English football and may even receive a guard of honour from Arsenal to rub salt in the Gunners’ wounds.

It’s not all perfect for those at Anfield, however. On the pitch, they have been ruthless. Away from the pitch, however, Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes have seemingly lacked conviction in contract talks, with Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Alexander-Arnold all set to depart as free agents as things stand this summer.

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Their departures at the cost of nothing would quickly cut celebrations short, but they’re exits that the Reds must plan for, especially in the case of Alexander-Arnold amid Real Madrid’s reported interest.

With that said, according to The Boot Room, Liverpool are plotting a summer move to sign Wesley Franca after sending scouts to watch the 21-year-old Flamengo right-back in action.

The talented South American is certainly one to watch, and given that he’s reportedly valued at just £25m, there’s a real possibility that he could become one of the bargains of the summer with Flamengo ready to cash in on their full-back.

Replacing Alexander-Arnold will be no easy task for whoever has the job this summer, however, be it Franca or the likes of Conor Bradley. Yet to reach the peak of his powers at 21 years old, whether Liverpool hand that task to the Brazilian remains to be seen.

"Quick" Franca could be handed impossible task

Truth be told, Liverpool will struggle to find a like-for-like replacement for Alexander-Arnold if he departs this summer. There’s arguably not a right-back in world football who has his passing range. It could even be argued that not many midfielders have such range. So, those at Anfield shouldn’t look to find a like-for-like replacement at all.

Instead, as Slot has done at times this season, Liverpool should adjust their system to remove the reliance on their right-back going forward – returning to a more natural full-back rather than the role Alexander-Arnold has excelled in.

If that proves to be the case, then potential tasks handed to Franca would become that much easier. The 21-year-old would, of course, struggle to replicate the Liverpool academy graduate, but that doesn’t mean he lacks the potential to become a Premier League star.

South American football expert Tim Vickery was full of praise for the right-back when it was Aston Villa who were linked with a move for his signature in January, telling Sky Sports News’ Transfer Talk: “They think two things. First of all, they would like to use him for the Club World Cup because it’s very important to them.

“Secondly, they think they can get more. If the idea is around €20m (£16.7m) at the moment, it could be €30m (£25m) after the Club World Cup. He’s a very attacking full-back, very quick, bullet fast but he’s not the greatest defensive full-back.”