Barcelona have reportedly decided they do not want to complete a deal for Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold because of Lamine Yamal.

The Reds have made a great start to the new Premier League season with their 2-1 win over Brighton last weekend, allowing them to take top spot, two points ahead of Manchester City, who lost their first game of the season against Bournemouth.

Arne Slot couldn’t have hoped for a much better start as Jurgen Klopp’s successor, with the Dutchman winning eight of his first ten Premier League games in charge.

Slot has had to deal with a lot of speculation surrounding three of its players, with Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk all out of contract at the end of the season.

Liverpool Captain Van Dijk recently said that he is in “discussions with the right people” but the future of Salah and Alexander-Arnold is less clear.

And now reports in Spain claim that Barcelona will not pursue their interest in signing Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer.due to Yamal’s preferences.

It is explained that Jules Kounde’s “defensive solidity, combined with his ability to contribute in attack, has proven to be the ideal complement to Lamine Yamal on the right flank.”

Kounde gives the young Spanish international “the freedom to show his attacking ability” and the possible arrival of Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool “is not only perceived as unnecessary, but even as a potentially damaging move for the young Lamine.”

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Yamal “seems to prefer to keep Kounde as a teammate on the pitch” and “that is why it seems less and less likely that Barça will sign Alexander-Arnold.”

And it seems that Real Madrid are the clear favorites to sign the England international this summer. and former Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa scout Mick Brown insists Liverpool will “know whether he will leave or not” at the end of the season.

brown said Soccer insider information: “Liverpool will know if it goes or not. And if he definitely goes, they might feel like they can bring him some money in January and bite the bullet instead of letting him go for free.

“They don’t want to lose him because he’s an important player and he’s a local boy and all that. But they have to be realistic, and if they’re going to lose it anyway, why not make some money?

“I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them cut their losses and take what they can. That money can then be reinvested elsewhere if they want to strengthen the team.

“Liverpool are not as flush with money as Chelsea, for example, so if they can make good money from his sale, it will be an interesting decision.”