Final decision 'done and dusted' as Liverpool, Real Madrid learn their fate

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s verdict on whether to join Real Madrid or remain at Liverpool this summer have been described as “done and dusted” and it would now take a “huge U-turn” for the player to go back on what is now being described as final decision.

The 26-year-old grew up in the West Derby area of the city and is a boyhood Liverpool fan, signing for the club at the age of six and progressing through their ranks to become regarded as one of the greatest right-backs in world football. But with his contract at Anfield due to expire on July 1 – just 66 days from now – the player can walk away without a penny’s compensation paid to his beloved Reds.

Interest in his services from Real Madrid has been ongoing for close to two years now – and their plans to land the player as a free agent were seemingly confirmed last month when several high-profile journalists and publications declared the move a done deal.

However, some weeks on – and with confirmation yet to arrive from player or either club – speculation has suggested an incredible U-turn could be on the cards and that Alexander-Arnold could ultimately be convinced to sign a new deal at Anfield, more so in the wake of both Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah agreeing to stick around too.

Despite that, pundit Paul Robinson insists there is no way back for the Reds and “everyone at Liverpool” knows the player is leaving for the Spanish giants.

“No, there’s no chance,” the former England goalkeeper told Football Insider.

“It’s kite-flying journalism, there’s absolutely no chance.

“We heard Mo Salah was going to sign, that came out, then we heard that Virgil van Dijk was going to sign, and that came out.

“With Trent, there’s not been a dicky bird.

“He’s gone, it’s done, and I told you that in January.

“He’d upset a lot of people in Madrid if that was the case; there have been handshakes and agreements in place, it would be one of the biggest U-turns I’ve ever seen.

“There’s no way Trent is coming back, that ship has sailed and everyone at Liverpool knows it.”

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Fabrizio Romano on Alexander-Arnold’s future

Sources have told TEAMtalk that Real Madrid’s quest to sign Alexander-Arnold first began in earnest some 27 months ago, with contact first made with the player back in the winter of 2023.

And with our transfer insider Fraser Fletcher revealing in the autumn of last year that officials from the Spanish giants were in what was described to him as ‘constant contact over his signing, it always seemed a case of when, not if, the player would make the move.

To that end, we have long expected any announcement to come after Liverpool’s Premier League title has been wrapped up – and with a point on Sunday against Spurs now being enough, confirmation of his planned departure could be made official in the early days of next week.

Fabrizio Romano has also shut down rumours of a possible U-turn, telling his YouTube channel: “What I can tell you on Trent Alexander-Arnold is the situation is still exactly the same between Trent, Liverpool and Real Madrid.

“The deal for Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid is at the final stages. Just waiting for the formal steps, just waiting to sign all the contracts, just waiting to complete all the documents.

“So that’s the direction of the story – Real Madrid. At the moment no changes in the conversation or situation with Liverpool.”

Romano concluded by declaring: “It’s important to remind once again that Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to join Real Madrid despite the social media stuff, the celebrations and all the rest.

“If something changes I will tell you, but that’s not the case as of today.”

Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, has urged Slot to be brutal with Alexander-Arnold over the remainder of the season and axe him from the starting line-up in favour of Conor Bradley.

Speaking on Sky Sports last weekend, the pundit explained: “The big decision Liverpool have now until the end of the season – if Trent hasn’t committed, which he obviously hasn’t, he shouldn’t be starting games.

“Liverpool are not here as a football club to give someone a send-off.

“In Conor Bradley you’ve got a young player, we’re not talking about a 27 or 28-year-old, who had a tough 15 or 20 minutes at the start of the game [versus Leicester] and that’s part of becoming an experienced player.

“We need to assess whether he is the guy for us next season playing week-in, week-out.

“The decision Liverpool have in terms of Trent moving on is does Conor Bradley becomes our first-choice right-back and we buy a back-up player, who’s maybe a utility player who can play centre-back.

“Or are we buying a first-choice right-back and Conor Bradley is going to have to battle with him?

“So that lad needs as much experience as he can possibly get.”

Liverpool latest: Planned Salah replacement named; defender’s Everton links

Meanwhile, while all at Liverpool continue to rejoice at the extension of Salah’s contract at Anfield, a trusted journalist has now lifted the lid on the player that Slot intended to sign had the Egyptian decided to leave for pastures new.

Elsewhere, the Reds are closing in on a phenomenal first signing of the summer after holding ‘face-to-face talks’ with the player and with TWO factors giving them a significant advantage over two of their rival suitors.

The capture of that player, though might not be celebrated by everyone at Anfield, with a former Everton scout revealing two reasons why the move to join the Toffees could potentially result in defender Jarell Quansah ditching the Reds and moving across the city to Everton.

And finally, a well-connected journalist has astonishingly revealed that Liverpool have been exploring a potential deal for a world-class Chelsea star – which potentially could be worth up to £85m.

Alexander-Arnold: Five reasons to stay….

By Samuel Bannister

Creating a one-club legacy

There aren’t too many one-club players around these days, not only since the age of loyalty is declining but also because many youngsters are having experiences out on loan before breaking through at first-team level. Alexander-Arnold never needed that, instead building his way up to becoming a first-team regular at Anfield and never looking back. Alexander-Arnold could cement his legendary Liverpool status by committing to the club for his prime years. Whether he ends up retiring as a one-club man or not – in other words, he could have an end-of-career experience elsewhere like Steven Gerrard did when he went to LA Galaxy – Alexander-Arnold staying at Liverpool for the foreseeable future would be a story to satisfy the traditionalists and also enhance his Premier League legacy.

Chance to become captain

When Jordan Henderson and James Milner left Liverpool in 2023, their captaincy hierarchy underwent a reshuffle. Alexander-Arnold was one of the main beneficiaries, being appointed as vice-captain behind Van Dijk. Van Dijk is seven years older than Alexander-Arnold, so the academy graduate would be likely to step up to the full-time captaincy role at some point or another if he stays, which would be the culmination of his impressive rise through the ranks. If external interest was taken away, Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool career would theoretically last longer than Van Dijk’s. He could become their first Liverpudlian captain since Gerrard himself, standing out as a strong representative of one of the best clubs in the country.

Less pressure?

This is a contestable point but it could be argued that Alexander-Arnold would face more pressure at Real Madrid, where expectations are constantly sky high, than at Liverpool, where once again there are demanding expectations but also an existing understanding of and affection for what Alexander-Arnold brings to the team. If he has a couple of bad games for Liverpool, then unless it becomes a slump in form over a sustained period of time, it would be forgotten about fairly quickly. If the same was to happen early into his Madrid career, he could start feeling the heat. Of course, a player of his ability should back himself, but there have been examples before of a dream move becoming a nightmare, which he would want to avoid.

Settled role

For the best part of eight years now, Alexander-Arnold has been Liverpool’s main right-back. Thanks to how well he has performed, he has rarely been threatened for the starting berth. Even since Arne Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield dugout, Alexander-Arnold has retained the same degree of faith, so he could expect to continue in his stride if he was to remain at Liverpool. It would give him a solid platform from which to enjoy his peak years. In comparison, he would face more competition for his place at Real Madrid, where he would have to adapt to a new way of playing.

Setting Premier League records

Alexander-Arnold already has his name alongside some stunning data from his spell as a Premier League player. For example, he has the joint-most assists in the competition’s history for a defender. What else could he go on to achieve if he keeps adding to his impressive collection of stats? Over the past five seasons before this one began, he has averaged about nine assists per season in the league. Continuing at that rate, he could feasibly reach 100 Premier League assists by the season in which he would turn 30. While unlikely to reach the all-time record overall, he has some incredible numbers for a defender and he could stack up some more ground-breaking achievements.

On the flipside, you can reveal the five reasons for Alexander-Arnold to join Real Madrid here…

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