Trent Alexander-Arnold’s move to Real Madrid may have just made a positive step after news that broke on Monday.
Trent Alexander-Arnold had some worrying comments this weekend, making it clear that trophies would sway his upcoming decision. That upcoming decision is a major one, of course - his contract expires at the end of June and he's free to leave for whoever he likes.
Top of that supposed list is Real Madrid. They enjoy signing elite players on free transfers (don't we all) and signed the biggest one of all in Kylian Mbappé this summer.
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It's widely expected that they'll try to do the same with Alexander-Arnold. The pressure, in other words, is piled on top of Liverpool.
And things might actually have moved towards a deal with Real Madrid on Monday. That comes after news that Rodri would be missing for the rest of season, having torn his ACL.
So what's the link there?
Rodri injury could help Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid
Reports in Spain, such as this from AS, claim that Rodri is a major target for Real Madrid in 2025. Or at least, he was.
The ACL injury almost certainly rules that one out - Real are highly unlikely to pay big money for a player fresh of such an awful injury. There's little guarantee that he returns the same player, nor is there a solid timeline on that return.
It's entirely possible that he's not fit a year from now.
And if Real are suddenly not spending an awful lot of money on Rodri, they have extra motivation - and cash - to sign Alexander-Arnold. He becomes a far more prominent signing for them and one they could an even bigger financial package to.
Of course, this is just a puzzle at this stage but we'll have a much better idea of what's to come in just a few months. January 1st is when Alexander-Arnold can sign a contract with another non-English club.