Real Madrid braced for colossal Alexander-Arnold snub with Carragher claiming Liverpool star ‘will stay’

Jamie Carragher is convinced Trent Alexander-Arnold will STAY at Liverpool beyond this season, believing the star will reject a move to Real Madrid and that he will sign a new deal to remain on Merseyside amid claims his new deal will earn him a monumental pay-hike.

The right-back is now just over seven months away from seeing his contract at Anfield expire, meaning that from January 1 – now a worrying 34 days away – he can sign a pre-contract agreement to move to an overseas club of his choosing. Regarded as the best in the world in his position, Alexander-Arnold has won seven major honours at Liverpool and has contributed towards an incredible 102 goals (19 scored, 83 assists) from his 325 appearances for the Reds.

With the clock ticking down on his existing arrangement and with the wall of silence from Liverpool over his future making supporters twitchy, speculation is gathering pace that a move to long-term suitors Real Madrid could be on the cards in 2025.

However, Carragher has now gone on record to state he is utterly convinced that Alexander-Arnold’s future will remain on Merseyside – and believes he will be “worried into signing a new deal”.

“I think the reaction to him will be different to Salah when we start talking about his [contract situation],” Carragher told CBS Sports.

“I think he will get a lot more criticism because when you’re a local player a lot more is thought of you. And I think that the feeling of the Liverpool supporters will worry him a little bit and I think he’ll end up signing.”

Carragher added: “I think he will be very worried about the reaction if he didn’t sign and he left on a free to go to, say, Real Madrid.

“I think the feeling with Liverpool supporters would be a lot different to what it has been of late, in the last few days, with Mo Salah… because he’s a local player.”

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Reflecting on two players who made the move from Merseyside to Madrid previously, Carragher believes Alexander-Arnold will be well aware of the historical connections and the impact such a move would have on his legacy.

“I’ve seen it with Steve McManaman when he went to Real Madrid on a free [in 1999]. He was a great player for Liverpool. So was Michael Owen.

“Actually, Michael Owen did an interview [on Wednesday] when he said that at times when he goes back to Anfield he doesn’t feel welcome and secure going back there. Some of that has to do with playing for Manchester United [between 2009 and 2012], I get that. But a lot of it has to do with leaving Liverpool.  And he didn’t leave on a free, he left for £12million [when he signed for Madrid in 2004].

“I think that will be in the back of Trent’s mind at the moment. And I think that when you are a local player you don’t want to lose the legacy that he’s already got.

“He’s been there since he was a boy, he’s 26 now and he’s won everything. You don’t want to lose that and I think he’ll sign.”

Sources have told TEAMtalk that Liverpool remain relaxed on the situation surrounding Alexander-Arnold, suggesting to us there is confidence the 26-year-old vice-captain will sign on the dotted line.

That’s even though we have also been told that officials from Real Madrid have been in what has been described to us as ‘constant contact’ over a move for the player.

But with his business affairs handled by his father, Michael Arnold – himself a lifelong Liverpool fan – the signs do certainly point to Alexander-Arnold committing to a new deal.

To further strengthen those claims, a report earlier this month claimed Liverpool now had a ‘belief’ that a breakthrough had been reached with the 26-year-old, with a new deal at Anfield reportedly worth in the region of £400,000 a week – making him the best-paid player in Liverpool’s history.

Alexander-Arnold has himself been relatively quiet on the speculation, though did admit earlier this season that he has no plans to jump ship mid-season.

“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 following a routine win over Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this season.

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

Asked about the conditions that could persuade him to sign a new deal, 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.”

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Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham, meanwhile, has refused to discuss speculation linking Alexander-Arnold with Real Madrid, despite his very close friendship with the player.

“I’ll be playing alongside him next season for England anyway. That will be a guarantee,” Bellingham told a press conference previewing Wednesday’s Champions League game at Anfield, which saw Liverpool run out 2-0 victors.

“But he’s a Liverpool player and it would be disrespectful to come to his home today with a big game [on Wednesday] and talk about something that could be misconstrued so it’s important to take that pressure off him. I want him to do really well normally. Just not [on Wednesday].”

The Spanish giants could, though, get their revenge on Liverpool with stunning new reports from Spain claiming Florentino Perez has been ‘offered’ the chance to sign Salah, with the Egyptian star also out of contract next summer.

And with Real reported to have held meetings to discuss how to finance a deal, there seems to be renewed optimism in Spain that Salah could form a new-look attack alongside Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior next season.

Meanwhile, Arne Slot is reported to have ‘sparked’ a Liverpool move for Frenkie de Jong after learning Barcelona could be forced into selling the Netherlands midfielder for a cut-price fee in 2025.

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