The January transfer window might have passed by but the threat of Real Madrid hanging over Liverpool’s heads just doesn’t seem to go away.
Even though the Reds managed to thwart attempts from the Spanish giants in their bid to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold in the just gone by month, the respite was only temporary.
Read – Could the transfer market snoozefest hamper Liverpool in their quadruple bid? – Opinion
It is one of the worst kept secrets in football at the moment that the Spanish giants are interested in signing Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Los Blancos have been assembling a new generation of Galacticos in recent seasons and have managed to sort out the attack and midfield, with defense being the only area of concern.
Dani Carvajal is getting on in age and suffered a season-ending ACL injury earlier in the campaign. It is never easy to return from a cruciate ligament issue and even more so, if you are on the wrong side of your career as a footballer. In his absence, Ancelotti has been forced to rely on Lucas Vasquez, who isn’t a right-back at the same level.
Thus, the chosen one to be the Spanish defender’s replacement at the Santiago Bernabeu is the English full-back.
Latest update from Spain
As per the La Liga transfer market report covered by Marca (press image at the end), Real Madrid tried to attract Trent Alexander-Arnold in January but Liverpool were not willing to part ways with such an important player mid-season.
However, the report claims that the Spanish side ‘seem advanced’ to secure the signature of the 26-year-old in the summer transfer window.
A report from AS has seconded this narrative, claiming that 90% of Trent’s contract at Real Madrid has been sorted out, with only the player’s signature pending.
However, one must understand that the signature is maybe the most important aspect of the contract and as long as he doesn’t put pen to paper, nothing is over from a Liverpool perspective.
Stick or Twist
Although Trent’s future is no longer in Liverpool’s hands, they do have a decision to make. Do they go over and beyond to try and convince the Englishman to extend his stay at Anfield or do they let him choose his own career path and focus on Conor Bradley, who has immense potential to succeed at right-back?
Trent has been in decent form this season, playing well for Arne Slot’s side. He has been used in different roles, sometimes inverting and sometimes acting as a conventional overlapping full-back. He has had a few difficult games defensively, like the one against Man Utd in the Premier League recently but the performances have been largely encouraging.
The 26-year-old suffered an injury against Bournemouth last weekend and is not expected to be available to face Spurs in the Carabao cup semi final’s second leg.
Even though the Spanish reports seem to suggest that Trent will leave Liverpool and his move to Real Madrid is perhaps a done deal, they must be taken with a pinch of salt considering where they are based out of.
The English full-back has been an Anfield boy through and through and there certainly seems to be scope for negotiations going forward.
The most indicative situation suggesting Liverpool have not given up on Trent is the fact that they continue to count on him as a regular starter. Often, players are sidelined from the first-team squad when they refuse to sign a new contract with the club and nothing of that sort seems to have played out, as of yet.
Thus, as long as the Englishman agrees new terms with the club under the right conditions, he still has a huge role to play in Liverpool’s future.
It remains to be seen if Liverpool manage to get Trent to commit to a new deal at Merseyside or if Real Madrid use their allure to pull him to the Spanish capital. The next few months could turn out to be pivotal in the Englishman’s future and let’s wait and see how it plays out.
