Arne Slot confirms Conor Bradley will start ahead of departing Trent Alexander-Arnold

The Liverpool head coach has admitted replacing Alexander-Arnold will be tough

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admits prohibitive transfer fees may be a barrier to him signing a ready-made replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

On Monday the England international confirmed he would not be renewing his contract which expires in the summer - something which had been expected for a while with long-term links to Real Madrid.

It leaves the Premier League champions light in that area with 21-year-old Conor Bradley, with 54 senior appearances to his name, their only recognised right-back.

"I think it would be a surprise if I were to tell you now 'Yes, we we are looking at this and looking at that'," said Slot.

"We don't talk about contracts here so we don't talk about the positions or if we want to improve the team in certain areas.

"That's the most difficult thing for a club like Liverpool if you just won the league is that it is not easy to find better players than we already have.

"And if they are there then they still need to be affordable and need to want to come.

"That last thing is mostly not a problem, by the way, but transfer fees sometimes are."

Slot confirmed Bradley will start Sunday's match at home to Arsenal but said that was not a reaction to Alexander-Arnold's announcement as the Republic of Ireland international would have been in the team for Chelsea last weekend had he been fully fit.

Conor Bradley is the only recognised right-back at Liverpool (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)

And while reaction to the England international's decision to end his 20-year association with the club has varied wildly among supporters and pundits the Liverpool boss said it was not his place to tell fans how they should react.

Slot will speak to Alexander-Arnold when the players train on Friday about how he is feeling following his announcement, having only communicated by WhatsApp since last seeing the right-back on Monday.

"That people have an opinion about us, if it is Trent or me or someone else, is not new for anyone," added Slot.

"Probably it's a bit more now for him than he is used to and probably a bit more negative but I don't follow all of this. I am not here to tell the fans how they should react.

"We are all disappointed but Trent is the first one also who he said he would prefer us as a team and a club not to be not too much distracted by this announcement.

Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave Liverpool at the end of the season (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)

"I am hoping all the energy on Sunday goes to the players and less as possible to Trent - unless it is positive then they can do whatever they want.

"I worked at clubs like AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord where every season a very good player or multiple very good players left the club so I am a bit more used to it.

"But the experience I have - and by the way this club as well - is that if a very good player is leaving the next very good player will step up and that probably will happen now."