Jude Bellingham refused to be drawn into discussing Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s links to Real Madrid as his contract situation remains unresolved and touched on his talks with Liverpool.
Alexander-Arnold’s future remains uncertain as a new contract at Anfield has yet to be signed, and it is no secret that Real Madrid are ready to pounce should he not extend.
The Spanish press have been insistent in their coverage over a possible move next summer and with the two teams to meet on Wednesday, the line of questioning for Bellingham was obvious.
The England international took on pre-match media duties and was asked if he wants to play alongside Alexander-Arnold next season, and he all but refused to be drawn into speculation.
Bellingham said: “I’ll be playing alongside him next season for England anyway, hopefully. That’ll be a guarantee.
“He’s a Liverpool player, and I think it’s disrespectful to come to his home today and speak before a huge game and speak about something that could be misconstrued.
“So it’s important to take that pressure off him. He’s a really good mate of mine and I want him to do really well, normally. Obviously, not tomorrow night.
“We’ll see what happens, but he’s a Liverpool player.”
It is unlikely the two will meet on the Anfield pitch on Wednesday, though, after Arne Slot confirmed that Alexander-Arnold is not fit to start, and in “an ideal world” doesn’t feature.
LFC move ‘not as close as media made out’
For a long time before Bellingham agreed to join Real Madrid, he was seen as Liverpool’s No. 1 transfer target.
But the club would soon remove themselves from the equation and, unsurprisingly, this too came up while Bellingham fronted members of the Merseyside press.
He made it clear that he could not say no to Real Madrid once they came knocking, which could cause some concern over how Alexander-Arnold perceives their interest.
“It probably wasn’t as close as a lot of the media made out,” Bellingham said of Liverpool’s transfer interest. “I had conversations with a few clubs when leaving Borussia Dortmund.
“I made that decision and they gave me permission to speak to a few clubs, and one thing I have to say is all the clubs I spoke to were very respectful of me and my family.
“That for me was of huge value and something I really respected so I don’t want to say anything that sounds disrespectful to them, but when Real Madrid come knocking on the door it shakes the whole house.
“It’s hard not to open and accept, so I think – as I said before – it’s not a matter of the teams weren’t good or bad when I spoke to them, it’s just Real Madrid are on another level.”
