Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold is still reportedly wanted by Real Madrid, with president Florentino Perez eyeing him as a standout target.
The 25-year-old has grown to be one of the poster boys of this era at Anfield, proving to be among the most technical-gifted footballers of his generation.
The brilliance that Alexander-Arnold has produced from right-back has been scarcely believable at times, certainly compared to players in his position throughout history, and he has 81 assists to his name in 313 appearances for his boyhood club, producing endless eye-catching passes and crosses down the years.
Liverpool’s vice-captain is out of contract at the end of this season, however, as is the case with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, and he is yet to agree an extension at Anfield, leading to concern among supporters.
While Alexander-Arnold leaving would come as a huge shock, any club in the world would love to have him, and a new update from Sport claims that Madrid continue to eye him up, in a worrying update for Arne Slot.
Perez wants to bring both the Liverpool ace and Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies to the Santiago Bernabeu next summer, seeing them as perfect additions in full-back areas.
Our thoughts on Madrid’s interest in Alexander-Arnold…
The lure of Madrid is understandably great for a player currently, considering Carlo Ancelotti is building a team of world-renowned superstars, including Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham.
For that reason, it is easy to see part of Alexander-Arnold being tempted to move there, but he would surely prefer to become an all-time great for the club he has loved since childhood, as was the case with his hero Steven Gerrard.
Losing him doesn’t bear thinking about from a Liverpool perspective, with right-back legend Dani Alves once saying of him: “I admire Trent Alexander-Arnold very much. He’s a fantastic footballer – this guy has got world-class skills.”
It still feels more likely that Alexander-Arnold will extend his stay with the Reds, though, ensuring he spends his best years there, and while keeping Van Dijk and Salah is also key, he could be the most important figure to tie down, given his age.
