Trent Alexander-Arnold exposes new Liverpool problem as £84m twist confirmed

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Recent news involving Trent Alexander-Arnold has highlighted a potential problem that Liverpool and FSG must navigate to a key ambition.

Alexander-Arnold is into the final year of his contract at Liverpool, the club which picked him from the academy and platformed him to become one of the most valuable defenders in world football.

It is believed that neither Liverpool nor apparent suitors Real Madrid have yet made a formal offer to Alexander-Arnold, who would be free to sign pre-contract terms with teams abroad from January.

The 25-year-old carried the ball from within his own half before laying up Luis Diaz for Liverpool’s second in their 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday.

After that clash, Alexander-Arnold was guarded in his comments about his Liverpool future, saying: “I want to be a Liverpool player this season is what I will say.

“I have been at the club 20 years now, I have signed four or five contract extensions and none of those have been played out in public and this one won’t be either.”

But as well as for being one of cohort of Liverpool superstars including Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk whose deals expire in June, Alexander-Arnold has also made headlines for a very different reason.

• READ MORE: Liverpool are regularly scouting ‘aggressive’ £42m Premier League player ahead of January

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s stance on rivalling FSG for French club takeover

FSG, whose biggest individual shareholder is John Henry, are one of the world’s most valuable and reputable sports empires.

As well as Liverpool, a property portfolio and a series of smaller sports teams, FSG also own MLB side Boston Red Sex, NHL outfit Pittsburgh Penguins, and NASCAR’s RFK Racing.

They also want to expand into the multi-club market by buying another team to act as an affiliate for Liverpool.

FSG retracted a bid to buy Bordeaux earlier this summer and the French market is believed to be one they have zeroed in on in the hopes of securing a bargain deal.

Until recently, it appeared that they could have some competition from within on this front, with a group financed by Alexander-Arnold and run by his father, Michael, apparently keen on Ligue 1 side Nantes.

According to respected French outlet L’Equipe, the pair had held video call talks with Nantes owner Waldemar Kita with a view to a takeover worth approximately £84m.

However, the Liverpool ECHO reported that there is nothing to the reports and that has since been seemingly confirmed by Kita himself, who claims “does not even know” who Alexander-Arnold is.

However, the increasing encroachment of players into the club ownership sphere does pose a threat to Liverpool as UEFA and FIFA look to crack down on the multi-club model.

Kylian Mbappe is now the owner of French Ligue 2 side Caens, while the likes of Lionel Messi is believed to have an equity option in Inter Miami.

While retired footballers taking a stake in a club is nothing new, active players doing the same is a novel phenomenon and one that will inevitably come with questions around conflicts of interests.

• READ MORE: ‘World-class’ player regrets rejecting £51m Liverpool transfer and is determined to join Reds in 2025

Liverpool’s multi-club masterplan

When Michael Edwards returned to Liverpool as chairman over the summer, he did so on the condition that he would be allowed to launch a multi-club structure.

Noises coming from the world of football business suggest that FSG’s ambitions in the multi-club market are somewhat different to, say, the Red Bull network or Man City’s City Football Group.

It is believed that FSG want any new club they buy to operate as its own entity and not simply become a feeder club for Liverpool, nor an expensive billboard for the FSG brand.

They will, however, likely benefit in some of the same ways that the above multi-club networks have, including in recruitment and retention, as well as revenue and cost efficiencies.