The £15m bargain full-back Liverpool must consider as Trent Alexander-Arnold 'rejects' latest contract offers

There is fire on the mountain at Liverpool, as some of their key players, including Trent Alexander-Arnold, are facing contract uncertainty. Alexander-Arnold, who is out of contract next summer, has reportedly rejected the latest offer from the club, with Real Madrid and their rivals Barcelona both showing interest in him.

Liverpool have had a brilliant start to life under Arne Slot, winning 14 of their first 15 games and sitting at the top of the Premier League table. However, behind the scenes, there are contract issues that need to be sorted out. This could be the time for the Reds to start looking at credible alternatives.

One such alternative is Arsenal’s Nuno Tavares, who has had more assists than Bukayo Saka in what has been a remarkable season. Tavares moved to Lazio with a £7million obligation to buy, but Liverpool could secure him for a fee around £15 million.

He has forced his way back into the Portugal national team and is thriving in the competitive environment of top-tier football, where players are always pushing to improve. While not as refined as Alexander-Arnold defensively, Tavares does show great energy and aggression in his defensive work.

His willingness to press high and contribute defensively would fit well with Liverpool’s high-pressing system. As he continues to develop, his defensive decision-making and positioning could improve to match his attacking contributions.

One key asset that has made Tavares such an exciting player and contributed to his strong start in Italy is his versatility. He can play multiple positions across the left flank, both as a left-back and wing-back, and he has shown that he can adapt his game to different tactical setups. Although he's traditionally played on the left, his adaptability could make him a solid option for the right-back role if Slot needs to tweak his system or rotate the squad.

Tavares’s blistering speed and physicality are another major factor in his appeal. His pace would allow him to offer a similar dynamic to Alexander-Arnold going forward. His speed could be an asset both defensively, as he can recover quickly, and offensively, as he can get up and down the flank to support attacks.

There will certainly be Liverpool fans who will be reluctant to lose Trent, not just because of his footballing abilities, but because of what he represents to the club, a local lad who saw Liverpool as his only path to success and won the Champions League. But sometimes, players want to explore new challenges, and the club must also protect its interests by looking for alternatives that will ensure continued growth. In this case, pursuing Tavares could be a wise decision.

Tavares knows the Premier League and would likely see this as an opportunity to prove himself at the highest level. For Liverpool, this could mean having an exciting new weapon to hurt their opponents.