Alexander-Arnold move to Real Madrid branded ‘worst-kept secret’ as Liverpool are sent bleak transfer warning

Liverpool have been told that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s transfer to Real Madrid is “the worst kept secret in football” after two of their former stars delivered hugely concerning updates over their chances of extending the 26-year-old’s contract at Anfield.

Alexander-Arnold has been on the Liverpool books now for 20 years, having joined his hometown club’s academy as a six-year-old way in 2004. Having risen through the ranks to become not only their vice-captain but also regarded by many as the best right-back in world football, it is easy to see why the player is in such high demand.

And with his deal at Anfield due to expire at the end of the current season, Alexander-Arnold will be eligible to discuss a free transfer move to any overseas suitors from January 1 – just 58 days from now.

Liverpool chiefs are understandably desperate to avoid that scenario and are keen to tie the star down to a lucrative new deal. However, with damning reports over the weekend suggesting a move to Real Madrid could even be agreed as soon as January, former Reds defender Mark Lawrenson claims the player’s move to the Spanish capital is already widely known and believes anyway that securing Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah, both also out of contract next summer, are bigger priorities for the Reds.

“Van Dijk is the most important player to sign. He’s the rock of the defence, sorts out the dressing room, all those kinds of things. Still a top, top player. And then I would go with Salah after him,” Lawrenson said.

Turning his attention to Alexander-Arnold, Lawrenson added: “I think Trent will let his contract run out. I think the world knows, and it’s probably the worst-kept secret in the world, that his big mate (Jude Bellingham) plays for Real Madrid. He’s an intelligent boy, very well-schooled, etc. He might just turn around and go, ‘You know what boys, I’m going to go and play in Spain’. Because why not?

“Because don’t they win the Champions League every year, to widen your horizons, all those other kinds of things? It’s only a gut thing but I hear it more and more often now that they might have already had a conversation. So I wouldn’t be surprised.

“And Conor Bradley looks like he’s going to be a really good player as well in Trent’s position. So it wouldn’t be the end of the world, would it?”

READ MORE ~ Trent Alexander-Arnold: Real Madrid agree astronomical fee to sign elite Liverpool star in January, report claims

Alexander-Arnold: Another former Liverpool star predicts Real Madrid move

Lawrenson isn’t the only former Liverpool star backing the player to depart for Madrid, either, with Steve Nicol also explaining why he thinks the move looks highly likely.

“If anybody fits the profile for Real Madrid it’s Alexander-Arnold, a full-back who doesn’t really defend, although someone praised him this year but I’m not so sure about that,” he told ESPN FC.

“To be honest, all the noises I hear absolutely point towards him going there. The fact that Carvajal had such a bad knee injury will only mean that Real Madrid’s desire is even stronger than it was earlier.

“I get a feeling in a part of my stomach that Real Madrid and Alexander-Arnold are going to be getting together in the not-so-distant future.”

We understand that while Real Madrid have been in, what has been described to us as ‘constant contact’ with his entourage, the player’s priority has always remained on negotiating a new deal at Anfield.

Whether that has changed since sources told us that remains to be seen and it is hard to know exactly what is going on in the player’s mind or with those discussions with his father, Michael Arnold, who handles all his financial affairs.

While it has also been reported that Real are ready to offer the player an astonishing salary to move to the Bernabeu, Alexander-Arnold himself has strongly indicated his love and affection, as well as his long-term aims, with Liverpool.

“I have always said I want to captain the club. That is a goal of mine, whether that happens is out of my hands,” Alexander-Arnold told the media last month following a routine Anfield win over Bournemouth earlier this season.

“I want to be a Liverpool player this season (as a minimum) is what I will say.”

Asked what could influence that decision, he added: “The most important thing is always trophies. I want to win trophies.

“We were close to the title last season and we got a cup. The (quadruple) was on for a while I suppose.

“This season we are looking really good, it is still early days, but we need a lot of consistency. It will be difficult but we are looking to win as many trophies as we can.”

Latest Liverpool transfer news: Reds tipped to sign Kvaratskhelia / Salah’s cryptic hint

Meanwhile, Liverpool are being tipped to move for Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in 2025, with one transfer journalist explaining why the Georgian is likely to be high on their wishlist if Salah does depart Anfield.

Claiming the Reds will be “all over” a deal for Kvaratskhelia as one of two targets they will turn to, reported interest in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush has also been downplayed.

On the subject of Salah, the winger has posted something of a worrying ‘no matter what happens’ update on Instagram that perhaps owes to the player nearing a decision on his future and his ambitions for the rest of the season. However, many have seen the cryptic message as another indication that the Egyptian looks likely to leave.

Elsewhere, we understand that a new left-back will figure highly on Arne Slot’s wishlist in 2025 amid concerns that Andy Roberton’s best days are now behind him.

And while sources have informed us that Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez remains a top target, the Reds have also learned that another option in Wolves star Rayan Ait-Nouri could leave for a much lower fee than initially expected.

How Alexander-Arnold could take his place in star-studded 2025/26 Real Madrid line-up

It’s not just Alexander-Arnold that Real Madrid are chasing to add to their defence in 2025, with a new left-back in Alphonso Davies and a new centre-half, in Arsenal’s William Saliba, also figuring high on their wishlist.

If they were to land all three, here is how their star-studded line-up could look going into the 2025/26 campaign.