Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving Liverpool for Real Madrid is the transfer rumour that just will no go away. The Reds vice-captain is free to talk to them or other overseas clubs from New Year's Day ahead of becoming a free agent this summer.

Spanish media outlets claim the player has already decided on his future. However, the ECHO understands that Alexander-Arnold has not communicated to Liverpool that he wishes to join Madrid.

It would perhaps be wise for the club to have a few potential replacements in mind for the player, though, as the possibility of losing him remains a real one. Here are five options Liverpool could look at should Alexander-Arnold not sign a new contract and leave the club at the end of this season.

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Pedro Porro

Porro is potentially the best possible replacement for Alexander-Arnold. The Spain international has quickly become one of the best right-backs in the Premier League since signing for Tottenham Hotspur from Sporting two years ago.

Spurs paid £40million for him then and would likely want around double that if they are to let the player leave this summer. Porro still has three-and-a-half years remaining on his contract, so would command a considerable fee.

However, the right-back is perhaps the most stylistically similar to Alexander-Arnold than anyone else. Striking a deal to sign Porro would be a significant statement of intent.

Jeremie Frimpong

Frimpong is perhaps the player most heavily linked with replacing Alexander-Arnold this summer. A former Manchester City academy graduate, the Netherlands international is now a regular for Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen. He played in their 4-0 defeat at Anfield earlier this season in what could prove to be his audition for a move to join Arne Slot's squad.

The Dutchman notably has a reported £33million release clause in his contract at Leverkusen, making it the type of opportunistic move the club stressed would be their approach during the summer transfer window. An additional incentive would be that Frimpong's background at City makes the player qualify as homegrown under Premier League rules, which would help replace Alexander-Arnold in that regard as well.

Yukinari Sugawara

Frimpong and Porro are two who would come in as first-choice replacements for Alexander-Arnold. However, if Arne Slot wants Conor Bradley to be that replacement, then Sugawara could be a shrewd player to provide competition at right-back.

Since signing for Southampton from AZ Alkmaar for around £6million in the summer, has been a rare bright spark for the Saints. Their former head coach Russell Martin raved about the player and their style of play under him allowed Sugawara to show what he could do in a more attacking team. And unless Ivan Juric is a miracle worker, then the Japan international could be available for a cut-price fee following their relegation, in a similar fashion to how Andy Robertson arrived.

Marcus Pedersen

Pedersen is a player Slot knows from their time a Feyenoord, with the Norway international making 88 appearances under the now Liverpool head coach. However, the right-back has spent the last two seasons out on loan in Italy at Sassuolo and now Torino.

The latter have an option to buy the player, but so did the former and decided against making the move permanent. Pedersen has played his best football under Slot and could prove to be handy competition for Bradley as a backup next season being someone already familiar with how the Dutchman wants to play in a low-risk deal.

Ki-Jana Hoever

Five years after leaving Liverpool, could Hoever come back to provide competition for Bradley? Both briefly played together in the club's youth teams before that move and at still only 22, remains a Wolves player but is out on loan at Auxerre. The defender was highly rated by the Reds before moving in the opposite direction to Diogo Jota in 2020.

However, Hoever has only played 25 times for them, spending one-and-a-half seasons on loan at Stoke City, during which time he scored eight goals and assisted another six. Much like Frimpong, he would count as homegrown and as an academy-trained player, which would cover the potential departure of Alexander-Arnold.