'Secretive talks will have taken..' - Michael Owen claims that Trent Alexander-Arnold will join Real Madrid

Real Madrid tried to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold in January by starting formal negotiations with Liverpool, but their initial bid was turned down. Additionally, Real Madrid is offering the England defender a free contract to join them in the summer. Alexander-Arnold has told Liverpool that he wants to play for Real Madrid. His contract expires at the end of the current campaign. 

While reports claim that Trent Alexander-Arnold is eager to join Los Blancos, The Telegraph in England reports that Real Madrid's 25 million euro offer for him was rejected. According to the former Liverpool striker, Alexander-Arnold is now more likely to sign a new deal with Real Madrid than with Anfield. According to Owen, Los Blancos publicly approached the Premier League team after the full-back had previously had "secretive talks" with them. 

In order to get his signing within the January window, Real is prepared to pay a transfer fee. Michael Owen anticipates Alexander-Arnold joining Santiago Bernabeu this month or on a free transfer in the summer after Liverpool turned down Real's first offer.

The very fact that Real Madrid have now made their intentions clear towards signing Trent Alexander Arnold leads me to believe that it’s only a matter of time before he signs for them. If he was going to sign a contract extension, Madrid wouldn’t have officially made their move.…

— Michael Owen (@themichaelowen) December 31, 2024

Trent Alexander-Arnold not leaving Liverpool

Liverpool has no plans to accept an offer at this time since they still want to convince him to stay with the team. With one game remaining, the Merseyside team leads the Premier League table by eight points. They will next play Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday. Despite continuous transfer rumours, Alexander-Arnold is expected to play a key role for Arne Slot's team once more. 

Real Madrid seems certain that they will eventually acquire their player, but Carlo Ancelotti's team is now at a disadvantage because Lucas Vazquez is the only obvious choice at right-back for the remainder of the season. The Italian has occasionally substituted Fede Valverde for Dani Carvajal, who was sidelined for the remainder of the season.