A trusted reporter has weighed in on what decision Trent Alexander-Arnold will make when picking between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
The Liverpool right-back, 26, is facing up to an unenviable choice. Alexander-Arnold is out of contract at season’s end and must decide whether to re-sign with his boyhood team and potentially become a one-club man, or leave for the glitz and glamour of arguably the world’s biggest club in Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants have developed an obsession over Alexander-Arnold’s signing. He is their No 1 transfer target for the summer, irrespective of position.
Liverpool have put an offer to extend on the table, though as yet it has gone unsigned.
A fresh update from Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg has shed light on which way Alexander-Arnold is leaning as of right now.
“There is still no agreement between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool on a new contract beyond the end of the season,” wrote Plettenberg.
“Currently, the chances of the 26-year-old right-back joining Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer are higher than him extending his contract at Liverpool.
“However, Liverpool are not giving up.”
Alexander-Arnold leaving, but Salah staying?
Liverpool bowed out of the Champions League on Tuesday night when succumbing to a rejuvenated PSG under Luis Enrique and post-Kylian Mbappe.
The tie may yet represent Alexander-Arnold’s final Champions League match in a Liverpool shirt, while the futures of Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah remain uncertain too.
However, TEAMtalk’s understanding of the situation is that pair are expected to pen fresh terms when decision-time comes.
And in a separate update on X, Plettenberg stressed Liverpool are “optimistic” of thrashing out an agreement with Salah specifically.
“There is still no agreement between Mohamed Salah’s agent and Liverpool on a new contract beyond the end of the season,” began the reporter. “However, talks are ongoing.
“Liverpool want to extend his contract and remain optimistic about reaching an agreement, though the outcome remains open in all directions.
“The 32-year-old is having an outstanding season so far, with 32 goals and 22 assists.”
Latest Liverpool news – Arne Slot on PSG exit
In other news, Arne Slot claimed the second leg of Liverpool’s Round of 16 clash with PSG was the best match he’s ever been involved in.
“It is hard; last season, we weren’t in the Champions League. Liverpool showed ourselves in this competition as we want to,” the Dutchman told Amazon Prime.
“It was the best game of football where I was ever involved in. It was an incredible performance, especially compared to last week.
“First 20/25 minutes, we were all over them, created chance after chance and all of a sudden we were 1-0 down. Probably it was almost the opposite, maybe we ran out of luck because the margins were so small tonight.”
Slot added: “It feels unfair to go out at this round already, you’re at the top of the table then you face a team like PSG, but that’s also the nice part about football.”
Alexander-Arnold’s reasons to stay or leave
Reasons to stay
📌 Creating a one-club legacy – There aren’t too many one-club players around these days, not only since the age of loyalty is declining but also because many youngsters are having experiences out on loan before breaking through. Alexander-Arnold never needed that, instead building his way up to becoming a first-team regular at Anfield. Alexander-Arnold could cement his legendary Liverpool status by committing to the club for his prime years.
📌 Chance to become captain – When Jordan Henderson and James Milner left Liverpool in 2023, their captaincy hierarchy was shuffled around. Alexander-Arnold was appointed as vice-captain behind Virgil van Dijk. Van Dijk is seven years older than Alexander-Arnold, so the academy graduate is likely to step up to the full-time captaincy role at some point or another if he stays, which would be the culmination of his impressive rise through the ranks.
📌 Less pressure – This is a contestable point but it could be argued that Alexander-Arnold would face more pressure at Real Madrid, where expectations are sky high, than at Liverpool, where once again there are demanding expectations but also an existing understanding of and affection for what Alexander-Arnold brings to the team. If he has a couple of bad games for Liverpool, then unless it becomes a slump in form, it would be forgotten about fairly quickly. If the same was to happen early into his Madrid career, he could start feeling the heat.
📌 Settled role – For the best part of eight years now, Alexander-Arnold has been Liverpool’s main right-back. Thanks to how well he has performed, he has rarely been threatened for the starting berth. Even since Slot replaced Klopp in the Anfield dugout, Alexander-Arnold has retained the same degree of faith, so he could expect to continue in his stride if he was to remain at Liverpool.
Reasons to leave
📌 Expectation of major trophies – While Alexander-Arnold has amassed a respectable medal collection with Liverpool, winning just about everything there is to win, the sheer frequency of honours he could expect to pick up at Real Madrid may outweigh it. Madrid are the Champions League’s most successful club and could enable Alexander-Arnold to add some more glittering honours to his cabinet.
📌 Ballon d’Or ambitions – Alexander-Arnold recently hinted he would like to aim for the Ballon d’Or while in the prime of his career. And although Rodri won the Ballon d’Or in 2024, it has more frequently been claimed by LaLiga players than Premier League players in recent memory. Alexander-Arnold could boost his chances of winning football’s biggest individual accolade by standing out in a star-studded Real Madrid team with his own unique role.
📌 Experiencing different culture – On one hand, Alexander-Arnold is in his comfort zone, playing for his boyhood club for the only team he has ever known. That may suit him, but he may also be eager to challenge himself in a different league and culture. Spanish football is experiencing a resurgence and it would be fascinating to see how he would adapt to that style of play.
📌 Bellingham linkup – If he was to move to Real Madrid, Alexander-Arnold would be able to link up with another English superstar in the shape of Jude Bellingham. The pair get on well thanks to being international teammates and that may help Alexander-Arnold settle in the Spanish capital. Bellingham certainly hit the ground running after joining Real Madrid and Alexander-Arnold could back himself to do the same.