Liverpool fans must be starting to get rightly fed up of the ongoing discourse surrounding three of their highest-profile players.
Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all just six months out from the expiry of their respective contracts, and speculation regarding their future has been rife for some time.
That rings particularly true for the latter, who’s constantly been at the epicentre of rumours over a possible move to Real Madrid.
Marca drops Trent transfer bombshell
Spanish outlet Marca have done their best to terrify Liverpool fans with the front page of their print edition this morning, with a banner headline which translates as: ‘Alexander-Arnold wants to come to Madrid. The player has already informed Liverpool.’
#LaPortada Alexander-Arnold quiere venir al Madrid pic.twitter.com/xNYQpOwuqJ
— MARCA (@marca) December 27, 2024
The publication’s website carries a corresponding story which claims that Trent has told the Anfield hierarchy that he wants to play for Los Blancos, having ‘fallen into the arms of the seduction and enchantment’ of the Champions League holders.
It’s claimed that a contract renewal on Merseyside is ‘becoming more and more unlikely’, and that the interest from the Spanish capital isn’t ‘a strategy by the agent to secure a more important and more substantial’ deal with his current club.
Trent leaving would be tough for Liverpool fans to take
On the surface, this story makes for difficult reading for Liverpool fans, if indeed the vice-captain has told Anfield chiefs that his preference is to join Real Madrid.
Whereas Steve McManaman (1999) and Michael Owen (2004) previously made that same move at a time when the Reds weren’t at a particularly high ebb, the Merseysiders couldn’t be in a better position right now on the pitch, leading the way in the Premier League and Champions League standings.
It’s already clear from social media discourse among many LFC supporters that the 26-year-old would ruin his legacy at his boyhood club if he were to walk away on a free transfer next summer, but we wouldn’t be howling in despair just yet.
Media outlets in Spain can be notoriously hyperbolic and inaccurate when it comes to transfer reporting, while a more reliable source in The Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe reported in recent days that Trent has given a firm indication to Liverpool that he wants to renew his contract.
We’d suggest taking these reports from Marca with a pinch of salt unless they’re corroborated by trusted sources closer to home. Let’s just hope they’re wide of the mark and that our vice-captain isn’t eyeing the exit door.
