Trent Alexander-Arnold joined Real Madrid for a £10million fee last summer, but his season hasn't worked out how he imagined
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold signed for Real Madrid last summer(Image: Photo by Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images)
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Trent Alexander-Arnold's time at Real Madrid isn't off to a great start. The world-class right-back left his boyhood club, Liverpool, last summer upon the expiry of his contract, joining a Galacticos outfit that includes Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe.
A defensive player, Alexander-Arnold was renowned for his incredible vision and attacking output from deep in the field, something the likes of Vinicius Jr and Mbappe could have benefited from. However, the Scouser has been limited to just eight appearances due to two devastating injuries.
He sustained the first injury to his hamstring in September and did not return until October 23. Then his luck got even worse when he suffered a muscle tear in early December, ruling him out until the beginning of February. Having failed to establish himself in the team, rumours are circulating about a return to the Premier League and maybe even Liverpool.
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Liverpool return
Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold is a Liverpool legend(Image: Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images/Getty Images For The Premier League)
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Alexander-Arnold was a superstar at Liverpool, and while his departure divided the fanbase, his contributions to the club will always be remembered positively in a trophy-laden era.
A reunion would be ideal for all parties right now, with Liverpool struggling in the Premier League and Alexander-Arnold failing to find his feet in Spain. Despite this, it is, of course, still early days.
Nevertheless, given the nature of the transfer rumour mill, talk of him leaving is still circulating, with Manchester City even rumoured to be interested.
Out of his eight appearances for Madrid, the 27-year-old has played the full 90 minutes on only three occasions, showing how little faith has been put into him so far, even when considering his injury plight.
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Three of those appearances were for four, nine and eight minutes long, respectively. And as well as the lack of game time, he has managed only one La Liga assist and is yet to get on the scoresheet.
It's also rumoured that former Liverpool defender and current Madrid boss Alvara Arbeloa doesn't want Alexander-Arnold, and he can leave the club in the summer, although these are purely rumours at the time of writing.
Contract release clause
When they signed the right-back, Madrid inserted a monster £840million release clause into Alexander-Arnold's contract, so if any club was interested in buying him, then they'd have to fork out a fair bit of cash.
The release clause was inserted with the expectation that Alexander-Arnold would be in their team for years to come. Spanish football teams are required by law to include a release clause in every player's contract, so the £840m (€1b) clauses are standard for elite players in the country.
Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Eduardo Camavinga and Rodrygo all have huge release clauses to protect the club from state-backed teams signing their best players.
Manchester City links
A highly unlikely scenario based on both the huge release clause and affiliations to Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold is being linked with a stunning move to City.
The former Premier League champions have already signed Bournemouth superstar Antoine Semenyo and are building an incredibly strong squad as they look to reclaim the title.
City currently play with former Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes at right-back, and while he is a superb player, someone with Alexander-Arnold's ability would bring City to another level again.
Persevering at Madrid
When considering the release clause and the fact that it's only halfway through his first season, the most likely outcome is that Alexander-Arnold will stick at it for at least another campaign.
The reality is that the former Liverpool man's time in Spain has been massively impacted by injuries, and Madrid could at least give him an opportunity to show what he can do on the biggest stage once he's fully fit and playing consistently.
Dani Carvajal, 34, isn't getting any younger, and Fede Valverde doesn't like playing at full-back, so the right-back role is there for Alexander-Arnold if he seizes the opportunity and shows Madrid why they signed him.