Trent Alexander-Arnold drops six-word reason as Liverpool confirm exit

Feargal Brennan

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Trent Alexander-Arnold drops six-word reason as Liverpool confirm exit image

Liverpool have confirmed the expected with Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving the club when his contract expires in June.

The defender has been at the centre of ongoing speculation over his future since the start of 2025 as his current deal at Anfield approached its final months.

Captain Virgil van Dijk and talisman Mohamed Salah confirmed decisions to extend until 2027 with their previous agreements also coming to an end on June 30.

The England international has developed into one of the world's leading full-backs with his creativity and passing a key feature of Jurgen Klopp's side and Arne Slot's 2024/25 Premier League title winners.

Despite the prospect of aiming to defend that crown in 2025/26, the 26-year-old has now made the decision to step away from Anfield, and pursue a new chapter in his career.

Real Madrid are widely expected to confirm a free transfer deal for Liverpool's No.66 in the coming weeks, but it is doubtful he will feature for Los Blancos at the FIFA Club World Cup, which starts in mid-June.

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Why is Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving Liverpool?

The homegrown defender has split opinion amongst Liverpool fans via his decision with some sections of the supporter base frustrated by his call to leave for free - having previously stated his desire to captain the club in future.

However, after winning eight major honours, including this season’s EPL title, the Scouse defender has revealed why he is leaving Merseyside.

"I’ve got to a point where I feel like I need a new change, a new challenge for me as a player and as a person. I think now is the right time for me to do that," as per an LFC statement.

"I’ve been here 20 years now, loved every single minute of it, achieved all my dreams, achieved everything I’ve ever wanted to here.

"I’ve felt the support, the love, everything you the fans have done has never been unnoticed by me, I’ve loved every single minute of it. I hope they have felt that has been reciprocated and that I’ve given everything I could to the club."

Trent Alexander-Arnold Liverpool's stats

Alexander-Arnold has made 352 appearances for the Reds to date, scoring 23 goals, with 257 of those in the Premier League, alongside 18 goals.

Two Premier League titles, from 2020 and 2025, and the UEFA Champions League in 2019 catch the eye as his standout achievements at Liverpool.

However, under Klopp he also won the FA Cup and EFL Cup [both in 2022], the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup [both in 2019] plus the 2022 Community Shield.

A host of memorable goals and assists will mark his legacy at Liverpool including the infamous 'corner taken quickly' moment as Klopp's charges secured a miracle Champions League comeback against Barcelona in 2019.

64 EPL assists also means he walks away from Anfield with more goals created than any other defender in the competition's history.

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Feargal Brennan

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News. He has been working with TSN since the start of 2022 after stints with Reach, Amazon UK and Squawka in a nomadic career in the football media pyramid. Always with a keen eye on Arteta's 'Reds' and Kenny's Ireland 'Greens' and a 100% five-a-side penalty record.