Trent Alexander-Arnold ‘will love leaving Liverpool for Real Madrid’
Trent Alexander-Arnold should leave Liverpool to join Real Madrid as he would “love” playing in Spain, Gary Lineker has said.
The right-back is of course due to be out of contract with the Reds at the end of this season, with his future being heavily talked about.
That comes amid growing speculation that the England international is set to complete a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid, which he has given little away over.
Indeed, there has so far been no confirmation as to where Alexander-Arnold’s future lies beyond the end of this season, although Lineker believes the 26-year-old should swap Liverpool for Spain.
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast about what the right-back should do, the former Tottenham and Barcelona attacker said: “How do you say no to Real Madrid?
“Liverpool is an incredible football club, but a fresh challenge, playing abroad, I did it myself. Playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona is truly special. However strong and powerful and rich the Premier League is, the world’s greats still go to Barcelona and Real Madrid.
“The only exception in recent times is [Erling] Haaland. That aside, they go there. [Alexander-Arnold] will love it there. It will be amazing. They’ll worship and appreciate his passing range. He is in the prime of his career.
“I wouldn’t begrudge him. It seems to make a lot of sense to me. Free transfer is how Real Madrid have done things recently. He is really close to Jude Bellingham and would fit in there beautifully. He would be a massive success.
“They wouldn’t focus on his defending critically as we do here… overly, in my opinion. It’s a great fit and would be a huge loss for Liverpool, but they have [Conor Bradley] coming through who has done really well. I think it is highly likely that will happen, although I have no inside information whatsoever.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold facing a difficult call over his Liverpool future
Football Insider Opinion
The decision that Alexander-Arnold has to make here would surely not be an easy one for anyone to come to.
Liverpool are his boyhood club, and so it would be incredibly hard to walk away from them at a time when it looks as though they could be on the verge of entering a period of dominance.
As Lineker says though, Real Madrid will always be one of the biggest names in world football, and the rewards of a move there could be huge.
Not only that, but if he succeeds in Spain, Alexander-Arnold will be able to say that he reached the very top with more than one club and in more than one country.
The fact though that he could be leaving for free would surely be a sticking point for Liverpool, since it makes life much harder for them when it comes to replacing him without any funds from his exit.
As someone with such a long and deep connection to the club, that may be a concern for him considering what it might mean for his legacy there.
Madrid though, would surely not be inclined to pursue him any time soon if he does extend his contract at Anfield, so Alexander-Arnold is going to have to disappoint plenty of people one way or another.
In other news, Liverpool have put together a plan for the January transfer window.
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