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Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been talking Trent Alexander-Arnold's decision to leave Liverpool

Arne Slot is once more expected to ring the changes when Arsenal visit Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

Having made as many as six for Sunday's 3-1 loss at Chelsea, the new Premier League champions are likely to recall a string of first-team stars for the visit of the second-placed Gunners.

Victory offers the Reds the chance to move a whopping 18 points of clear Mikel Arteta's men, who will by Sunday, know if they are Champions League finalists or not as they get set to overturn their 1-0 reverse at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.

Ahead of that game, the Paul Gorst brings you all the latest tidbits in his ECHO Notebook.

READ MORE:Man United legend makes Liverpool title defence prediction and Trent Alexander-Arnold claimREAD MORE:Mikel Arteta bizarre Liverpool broadside only exposes Arsenal shortcomings - he should know better

Wenger drops Real Madrid hint over Alexander-Arnold approach

Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes Real Madrid's pursuit of Trent Alexander-Arnold dates as far back as two years, with the promise of a lucrative contract as a free agent.

On Monday, Alexander-Arnold announced his decision to leave Anfield at the end of the season when his contract expires and he is expected to move to los Blancos on a free transfer before the start of next season.

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The prospect of Madrid taking the England international before the end of his official terms on June 30 has been broached in order for the defender to feature in the revamped Club World Cup in the United States next month.

It's unclear what Liverpool's stance is on that at present, with talks understood to have begun on Monday night over the possibility of Alexander-Arnold switching for a nominal fee that would mean the Reds don't have to pay a month's salary during June for a player who is leaving.

Gunners great Wenger, speaking to beIN Sports as part of their Champions League coverage, said Real Madrid opened talks with Alexander-Arnold's camp a "long, long time ago", despite the Liverpool player only telling the club of his intentions as recently as March.

Wenger said: "Am I surprised by the timing?

And overall I think the timing is all right because Liverpool are champions, they are not going for any other trophies and he has to announce it.

It gives Liverpool time to look for another defender.

"I still believe that Liverpool [will] lose a great player and it will be difficult to replace because he is a creative full-back and we love them.

"I believe that it shows Trent's transfer, it shows a new transfer game.

The big club, they say two years before the end of a contract: 'We want to buy you, we're secure, we'll give you this wage and we will try to make an offer to the club'.

"'If it doesn't work, we will come back next time.

Real Madrid approached Alexander-Arnold a long, long time ago."

Alexander-Arnold decision won't prompt rethink

The news that Alexander-Arnold will leave at the end of his Liverpool contract, while disappointing for the club's worldwide fanbase, has not exactly come as a major shock.

The vice-captain's future has been the subject of intense debate all season and his strategy to keep quiet on the subject has only added to the speculation before it was confirmed on Monday he would be leaving.

The exit strategy has been in place since March, when he finally told Arne Slot that a decision has been made and plans to execute a social media video of the player himself confirming his intentions to the fans were put in motion around the most recent international break.

Having had the best part of two months, at least, to think about how to replace the creative full-back, Monday's public confirmation won't change anything for Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes.

Slot confirmed last Friday that the early clinching of the Premier League title affords him and Hughes more time and space to plot for next season, saying "there's a bit more time now to have these conversations" where recruitment is concerned.

And with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk having secured their status as Liverpool players for the next two years last month, the structure for next season has been worked on for a number of weeks as a minimum at the AXA Training Centre.

With Van Dijk and Salah having outlined a desire to stay months ago and Alexander-Arnold telling Slot of his decision in March, those in power at Anfield have been quietly been able to work on improving the squad for next season knowing full well what they have to work with.

That means the news won't rock the boat or force a rethink of Liverpool's long-term plans for the summer months as they head into an intriguing window as champions.

Van Dijk tips Quansah to bounce back

It was a tough afternoon for Jarell Quansah at Chelsea on Sunday, with the defender scoring an unfortunate own goal before conceding a stoppage time penalty in their 3-1 defeat.

It was the first time since the opening weekend at Ipswich that Quansah has started at centre-back in the Premier League and on a day when Slot made six changes to his championship-winning side, it was a difficult day for the young defender, who signed a long-term contract extension earlier this season.

Van Dijk says he spoke briefly with his younger colleague after the game at Stamford Bridge but claimed he has no concerns over Quansah long term.

"The only thing I said to him earlier was to recover, learn from it and move on," Van Dijk revealed.
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