Real Madrid are reportedly ‘on the verge’ of securing a deal to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold after a Liverpool plan initiated over two years ago ‘backfired’, according to a report.
Alexander-Arnold is one of three Liverpool superstars in the final year of their respective contracts. The others are Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah. The Reds are at risk of losing all three to free agency and Alexander-Arnold has a confirmed admirer in the form of Real Madrid.
According to a fresh update from The Sun, Liverpool’s ultra-creative right-back is closer to joining Real Madrid than is being reported elsewhere.
They described Alexander-Arnold as being ‘on the verge’ of a ‘Real Madrid move.’ Explaining why, it was suggested the influence of Jude Bellingham – a close personal friend of Alexander-Arnold – is set to prove pivotal.
The pair have struck up a genuine friendship over the past few years and per the report, it all began when Liverpool tasked Alexander-Arnold with attempting to cajole Bellingham into signing for Liverpool over two years ago. The Reds’ aim at that time was to overhaul their ageing midfield in the summer of 2023 and Bellingham was their No 1 target.
However, fast forward to the present day and not only did Bellingham reject Liverpool in favour of signing with Real Madrid, but The Sun state he could now be a deciding factor in luring Alexander-Arnold to The Bernabeu too.
Real Madrid are reportedly ready to step up their interest on the back of Dani Carvajal suffering a season-ending ACL injury. A January move has been speculated, though The Sun state a free agent swoop in the summer is more to Real Madrid’s liking.
While The Sun’s claim Bellingham could help swing a deal for Alexander-Arnold Real Madrid’s way is valid, there is little in their report to suggest an agreement is ‘on the verge’ of being struck.
A separate report from Football Insider stated Liverpool are ‘hopeful’ their vice-captain will pen fresh terms and stay.
Furthermore, TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Fraser Gillan, revealed on October 1 that Liverpool are ready to put a lucrative contract extension on the table.
We understand a bumper new deal that would bring Alexander-Arnold close to Mohamed Salah as Liverpool’s highest earning player will be offered. Sources state the Reds are calm and confident Alexander-Arnold will sign the offer.
Alexander-Arnold currently earns around £180,000-a-week, while Salah pockets roughly £350,000-a-week. As such, Alexander-Arnold is seemingly in line to almost double his already significant salary if staying put.
Nonetheless, we can confirm the threat of Real Madrid is genuine and the LaLiga giant hold genuine aspirations of signing Alexander-Arnold.
While Liverpool may well be confident they’ll thrash out a new deal, they cannot rest easy with such a powerful suitor waiting in the wings.