Liverpool and England star Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly told the Premier League club that he wants to join Real Madrid this summer, according to Spanish outlet Marca.
The report says that Liverpool have been pushing for Alexander-Arnold to sign a new deal at Anfield but that the odds are “more and more unlikely” and that the Reds would rather lose him as a free agent in the summer than sell him in January.
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Alexander-Arnold, 26, is out-of-contract this summer and has been recruited to Real by England teammate Jude Bellingham, Marca‘s Jose Felix Diaz wrote on Friday.
Liverpool have hopes of re-signing dynastic trio Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Alexander-Arnold. The right back is homegrown and the youngest of the bunch.
Will Alexander-Arnold follow the lead of ex-Reds stars Michael Owen and Steve McManaman by swapping Anfield for the Bernabeu?
Alexander-Arnold is already in the Premier League’s all-time top 25 in assists with 62. That’s 18 away from the 10th-best mark shared by current teammate Salah and former Manchester United star David Beckham.
Does this make sense for Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool, England?
Talk about three loaded questions.
Liverpool surely don’t want to lose Alexander-Arnold at all, let alone in January. Real Madrid is unlikely to offer a fee anywhere near Alexander-Arnold’s worth in the winter anyway, so the Reds surely would accept the idea of running down Alexander-Arnold’s contract toward as many trophies as possible.
Alexander-Arnold wanting a new challenge and the bright lights of Madrid alongside his pal Bellingham certainly hits a few notes, and we’d all finally get that answer as to whether the cut of his defensive jib is enough for a non-Liverpool system.
As for England, they just want Alexander-Arnold playing often and well. Real Madrid are deeper than Liverpool, but they also lost world-class right back Dani Carvajal to an ACL tear in October. The 32-year-old’s return to full strength at his age is no guarantee, while his back-up Lucas Vazquez is 33.
He’d have every chance to thrive in that position, so there may not ever be a better time if his intention is to test himself on this new stage. And while Liverpool will lose a visionary playmaker, they may be able to get a bit stronger when defending on their right.
