Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold is the subject of a long-standing transfer saga involving Real Madrid – which may have taken a recent turn.
The Reds star is said to be in talks with Los Blancos over the move, having made his demands to Liverpool, in the case of remaining at Anfield. Named as FourFourTwo's best right-back in the world recently, Alexander-Arnold is one of three Liverpool stars approaching the end of his deal.
But unlike Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, there may be an opportunity for the Merseysiders to make some money on Alexander-Arnold at least, following a new twist in the tale.
Liverpool could in fact sell Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid, after all
During the weekend's game with Villarreal, Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal was badly injured in a clash with Yeremy Pino, landing badly and rupturing two knee ligaments. The six-time Champions League winner will now be out for the rest of the season.
Lucas Vazquez remains as the backup at right-back, with Eder Militao an option to move out there from the centre. Still, it's wholly possible that the club will bring in a new player this January.
Enter Alexander-Arnold. This Is Anfield has relayed reports of Real Madrid accelerating plans to sign the England star, with Catalan paper Sport claiming that the European champions are in a “state of shock” over the loss of Carvajal.
“The club is in a state of shock and is considering intervening in the January transfer market so that the team can survive,” they say. “Los Blancos could activate the arrival of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was half-secured for the summer on a free transfer.
They follow this, however, by saying that, “Madrid president Florentino Perez is not too keen on signing players during the season so as not to weaken the budget, and he already looked the other way last season due to injuries in defence.”
Real may not have a choice if they want to retain their European crown, though – and not just because of the dearth of depth at full-back. Carlo Ancelotti's side have looked devoid of creativity in the absence of Toni Kroos, who retired over the summer, and may need to rejig the team to inject a little more control.
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FourFourTwo understands that there are currently no plans for Real Madrid to bring forward of Alexander-Arnold. The Spanish outfit very rarely sign players in January – and with Ancelotti the master of making do with his squad and getting the best out of his group, it's unlikely that he will swoop for a star who Liverpool could demand tens of millions for, when they could just wait another six months to sign him for free.
The 26-year-old is worth €70 million, according to Transfermarkt. Any free transfer will see Alexander-Arnold pocket a sizeable sign-on bonus – likely to be heavily reduced should he move midseason for a transfer fee.
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