Liverpool must brace after MAJOR Trent Alexander-Arnold decision

Liverpool must brace themselves after a major Trent Alexander-Arnold decision was taken. The defender is out of contract next year.

The Athletic reports that Real Madrid have made Trent Alexander-Arnold their priority transfer target. Los Blancos need a right-back, of course, with Dani Carvajal having suffered a serious ACL injury.

There's no guarantee that Carvajal will return the same player, forcing Real to enter the transfer market. The big question now is will they try to buy someone in January?

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They have some targets in mind, certainly. Perdo Porro of Tottenham Hotspur and Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen make the list, as does Juanlu at Sevilla.

But it's Alexander-Arnold who tops it. The Scouser is out of contract in June, allowing him to agree to a pre-contract with non-English clubs from January 1st.

Real appear to have come to this decision after a reported transfer meeting last week. They were to assess their January window and, in particular, their options at right-back.

Real Madrid want Trent Alexander-Arnold

Liverpool have got to brace themselves, then. The Athletic's report makes it perfectly clear that Alexander-Arnold is putting pressure on the Reds, particularly with his public interviews.

Everything that comes out of his mouth at the moment sounds like someone angling for a move to Real Madrid. He's talking about trophies, about legacy, and about making steps 'up' - the go-to quotes of someone jumping to the world's most 'glamourous' club.

Liverpool have heard it all before, after all. A whole host of stars have jumped ship to Spain's big two over the last 25 years, from Steve McManaman to Philippe Coutinho.

But then again, we also heard it from Steven Gerrard, who ultimately rejected Chelsea in 2005 and remained with Liverpool for the entirety of his top-level years. Alexander-Arnold may well follow suit.

As things stand, though, Real are gearing up to sign another of Liverpool's brilliant homegrown stars. The clock is ticking, too.