Trent Alexander-Arnold and the Real Madrid links will likely not go away until the Liverpool man puts pen to paper for a new deal.
At present, the 25-year-old is inside the final 12 months of his contract at Anfield – meaning that he will be able to enter into pre-contract talks with clubs outside of England in January.
Real Madrid is reportedly working on a potential Bosman move, aiming to sign Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer next summer.
The Spanish club sees him as a long-term replacement for Dani Carvajal, who, at 32, may not be able to maintain his form for much longer.
Madrid’s strategy has included targeting players nearing the end of their contracts, as evidenced by their pursuit of Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, and David Alaba.
Real Madrid has been a significant obstacle for Liverpool in recent years, both on the field and in the transfer market.
The agony of losing two Champions League crowns to Los Blancos in the last six years, especially in the 2022 final, is well-known to Reds supporters.
The Spanish team has also possessed the advantage over Liverpool when it comes to player acquisitions.
During his time at Monaco, Aurélien Tchouaméni piqued the curiosity of Liverpool.
In an attempt to convince the French midfielder to pick Anfield, Jurgen Klopp even traveled personally to visit him.
However, in the end, the attraction of Real Madrid’s recognizable white kit was too much.
We also don’t even need to revisit the Jude Bellingham saga – with Conor Coady recently revealing the extent of Liverpool’s plans for Bellingham.
But it now seems some of Liverpool players are even getting in on the speculation.
Darwin Nunez teases Trent Alexander-Arnold on Real Madrid links
Trent Alexander-Arnold was part of the last batch of senior players to report for pre-season including Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, and Luis Diaz.
The group was put through their paces on Sunday with Arne Slot finally having a full squad at his disposal for the final stage of pre-season.
But the cameras at Anfield picked up a unique interaction between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Darwin Nunez.
As the pair were coming down the stairwell at the AXA alongside Luis Diaz, the Uruguayan said to Trent while smiling:
“Y el Real Madrid? Chao!”
— KeiLFC88 Media (@88lfcmedia) August 5, 2024
This translates into “And Real Madrid? Ciao (bye)!”
Alexander-Arnold said nothing in response but laughed off Nunez’ words alongside Luis Diaz.
It’s unclear if he was teasing Alexander-Arnold about a potential Real Madrid move or suggesting a move to Madrid would be absurd (hence the “bye” part).
Nevertheless, it provides fascinating insight in how professional footballers are aware of the media, as Nunez is referencing a transfer rumour that does not even involve him.
Arne Slot recently addressed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract situation, saying in South Carolina over the weekend that he is yet to speak to him about it:
“We didn’t speak about his commitment,” Slot said.
“We only spoke about the way I wanted him to play and how he could fit in that style. He was focused on the Euros at that moment we spoke and I saw some clips from people showing me that he looks really fit and sharp.”
“I can’t wait to see him train. But some others did quite well (on tour) as well so it is interesting to see if the others come back and the level goes up even more.”
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