Trent's BIG DECISION - will it be Liverpool or Real Madrid?

Trent Alexander-Arnold has completed football with Liverpool.

The 26-year-old is into his eighth season as a starter for his boyhood club. It could well be his last at Anfield.

The England international is into the final year of his deal. He's free to speak to clubs in January, and it is no secret that Real Madrid and Barcelona are both keen on the transformative right-back.

Real Madrid are already putting in the work behind the scenes. Their playbook is well known. The reigning LaLiga champions use their leverage in the Spanish media to make their plans known. Marca, for example, reported last week that the 15-times champions of Europe view the Liverpool No.66 as a necessity. He's considered the heir to Dani Carvajal at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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What Florentino Perez wants, he generally gets

More often than not, Florentino Perez gets what he wants. He clearly wants Alexander-Arnold, just as he wanted Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham over recent seasons. The pitch to the Liverpool right-back is going to be entirely predictable. Come and join the Dream Team.

The Real Madrid squad is starting to look like it has been taken from someone's FIFA Ultimate Team. Alphonso Davies is wanted for left-back. They're reportedly keen on William Saliba to bolster their centre-back options. Their midfield is stacked with Carlo Ancelotti able to name three from two-time Liverpool target Aurelian Tchouameni, Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Bellingham. Luka Modric is still around, and there is talk that Enzo Fernandez is also on the club's radar.

Alexander-Arnold would be supplying an attack made up of Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo. Perez will also be leaning into the idea that there is nothing left for Alexander-Arnold to achieve at Liverpool. He's won everything with the Reds and reached multiple European Cup finals. He's the youngest player in history to win every major trophy available to an English club.

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The No66 also reshaped the full-back role and was a key cog in Jurgen Klopp's all-conquering team.

He's made a mockery of the idea that kids don't want to grow up to be a right-back. No defender in Premier League history has more assists (59) than the academy graduate.

Trent exit signs have always been there

Alexander-Arnold succeeded James Milner as the club's vice-captain during the summer of 2023 and it appeared to be a formality that he would eventually take over from Virgil van Dijk as the skipper. But there have been signs all along that he might want to ply his trade elsewhere.

Whereas Alisson Becker agreed to a six-year extension with the Reds in 2021, Alexander-Arnold only agreed to a four-year contract. This current situation was by design.

Alexander-Arnold didn't want to tie himself to Liverpool. Not when he didn't know how the future looked. He was right to do so.

The Arne Slot era has started exceptionally well, but it could've easily been completely different. Had he signed a longer deal in 2021, he could've spent his prime years in a struggling Liverpool side without the likes of Mohamed Salah and van Dijk. And this fear likely remains.

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Why would the 26-year-old agree to a new deal when the club are seemingly struggling behind the scenes?

Van Dijk and Salah want to remain on Merseyside but, at the time of writing, haven't been offered new deals. With the focus on those two and Alexander-Arnold, others have been neglected.

There are a number of contracts which need sorting. Ibrahima Konate, for example, is heading into the final 18 months of his deal while Luis Diaz (28 in January) and Diogo Jota (28 next month) are out of contract in 2027.

An opportunity too good to refuse?

Alexander-Arnold might not want to be part of a rebuild, if one is needed. He might not want to be part of a transitional side when he wants to be challenging for the Ballon d’Or. But then there's also a world in which he just wants to try something different.

That is, ultimately, what makes this situation different to Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suarez, Michael Owen and Steve McManaman. Liverpool couldn't keep hold of those players. They weren't successful and couldn't compete financially. They all left in the hope of success.

After all, Alexander-Arnold would likely earn more at Anfield than he would at Real Madrid. If this season is a sign of things to come, the Reds will remain competitive. But what Liverpool can't offer is an experience.

The right-back has an opportunity to live in Spain and play alongside one of his best friends in football while wearing the white of Real Madrid. It is an opportunity. It might be an opportunity he cannot turn down.

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