Real Madrid have established Trent Alexander-Arnold as the priority on a list of four right-back targets ahead of the summer transfer window, reports claim.
Alexander-Arnold’s contract situation is an ongoing concern, though with the vice-captain not willing to see talks played out in public, it is unclear whether any developments have been made.
There remains every chance he signs a new deal with Liverpool, but from January 1 he will also be free to speak with clubs abroad over a free transfer.
Real Madrid are his most prominent suitors, and according to The Athletic, the Spanish giants have now made him their “priority transfer target.”
Journalist Mario Cortegana writes that Real are considering four options to strengthen at right-back, with Alexander-Arnold at the forefront.
Tottenham‘s Pedro Porro, Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong and Sevilla’s Juanlu are the alternatives, but Liverpool’s No. 66 is “the preferred option.”
It is added that “that is only feasible if he runs down his contract,” though that is fairly self-explanatory given he would not be available if he extended his terms.
New reports of Real’s desire to sign Alexander-Arnold come in the wake of a season-ending ACL injury for Dani Carvajal.
However, there is zero chance of Liverpool sanctioning a move for one of their most important players in the January transfer window, and any switch to the Bernabeu would only come if the 26-year-old rejected offers of a new contract.
If he were to do so, he would follow in the footsteps of fellow academy graduates Steve McManaman and Michael Owen, who enjoyed mixed success in Madrid.
Much has been made of the playmaker’s relationship with Jude Bellingham, having grown close while on England duty and spent downtime together over the summer, and that adds another element to the story.
Trent’s trophy ambition
Similarly, the changing of the guard at Anfield, with Arne Slot taking over from Jurgen Klopp, has clouded any decision over whether staying at Liverpool is right for a player as ambitious as Alexander-Arnold.
“I feel like I’ve entered the prime of my career right now,” he told ITV Sport earlier this month.
“I don’t want to be the player who only won trophies when he was young. I want to be the player that continued to win trophies year after year until the end of [his career], and was a great player in each season he played.”
Liverpool are in a strong position to challenge for and win trophies already under Slot, however, and there is every reason for Alexander-Arnold to stay at his boyhood club.
