Richard Hughes' phone call in bid to persuade Trent Alexander-Arnold to stay at Liverpool

Richard Hughes' first phone call after last summer was to . Hughes, who officially joined from in June 2024, made it one of his priorities to keep Alexander-Arnold at the club.

The defender, 26, had entered the final 12 months of his contract alongside team-mates and . But unlike the duo, Alexander-Arnold has and is set to join .

Talks over his future had already taken place before Hughes' arrival. Liverpool made contact with Alexander-Arnold last season to begin negotiations with his representatives while owners initiated conversations earlier.

Mirror Football understands that the talks were constructive. The offer presented would've made Alexander-Arnold the best paid right-back in the and one of the highest-earning defenders in the .

Despite negotiations continuing, Alexander-Arnold informed the club, where he's spent the last 20 years, that he wanted a new challenge. European champions Real made an approach for the international on New Year's Eve, but their interest was .

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Anfield chiefs held out hope that they'd be able to convince Alexander-Arnold to stay, with the Reds still in all four competitions at the beginning of January and the overwhelming favourites to win the Premier League title. Hughes later sat down with for a final unsuccessful meeting with 26-year-old, who informed Liverpool manager of his decision a few weeks ago.

At 10am on Tuesday, Alexander-Arnold told the world. "After 20 years at Liverpool Club, I'll be leaving at the end of the season," he said in a video posted on social media.

"I think the decision for me is personal. To change environment, to challenge myself personally elsewhere. It's not about wanting to find something better. It's about me and my personal journey as a player. I feel now is the right time to go and experience that.

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"People won't be happy on the decision but I feel it is something I have to do on my journey and my career. The times that I've had here, the memories, the special moments are and will always be the most special moments of my life. And memories that will live with me forever.

"I'm eternally grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way. Being able to sit here now as a two-time Premier League champion for the club I grew up loving, its a great end to the story for me. Of course it is very emotional for me. It's all I've ever known, it's everything I've ever wanted to do, dreamed of as a kid.

"Yeah it's just very emotional if I'm honest because the club, the city, the fans, the people have given me things I could never have dreamt of in my wildest dreams. It's you know, a journey I've lived through that millions of people would dream of doing it. I've been lucky enough to have been able to experience it.

"I'll never forget it and I can't thank everyone enough for the support, the belief, the amazing moments we've had. The love I have for this club will never leave, it will never diminish. I'll love it forever and I'll forever be in debt to the club and the fans for everything you've done for me.

"There's no doubt about it, I'll be back. Every chance I get I'll come watch games. I'll be supporting, I'll be wanting the club to win, wanting the club to be successful. There's nothing changing in that. I will always remain a Liverpool fan."

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