As an academy product who joined the club aged six and has gone on to win every major honour available, the fact Alexander-Arnold appears set to exit without bringing in any transfer fee has split the fanbase.
However, there are large sections of fans who understand his want for a new challenge and the lure of playing for Spanish giants Real, and are grateful for all he has achieved as a local lad at Anfield.
Below, we show the differing opinions on the move from those who care the most...
A legacy-destroying move?published at 11:55 26 March
11:55 26 March
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Here are some of your more damning comments on what this could mean for Trent Alexander-Arnold's Anfield legacy:
Rob: Trent has got his big move but it has all gone to his big head. He is not half the player Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk are in terms of contribution to LFC. His potential legacy is dust. His mate Jude Bellingham has persuaded him to go. We will be better without him as a team and club. As previous departures, he will regret it.
Rory: It completely tarnishes his image. He was supposed to follow in Steven Gerrard's footsteps and become the captain, a Liverpool icon. Instead, he has decided to pursue personal glory and made a mockery of his previous declarations of loyalty. To top it all off, he hasn't even done right by the club in making sure they get a fee out of him. Selfish and very disappointing.
Costas: TAA could have handled his probable exit better. Sign a new deal, put a transfer clause and let Real Madrid pay for the transfer. If he leaves for free and pockets a big signing-on fee his legacy is over. Good player but not irreplaceable.
Keith: I'm just wondering what colour we should paint the wall where his mural is painted. Any legacy as a Liverpool legend was tenuous in the first place, but he isn't good enough as a defender to achieve that anyway.
Jay: Trent leaving on a free is pure, selfish greed. Sign a three-year extension and at the point where there's one year left ask to leave. Real would still want him in two years. Saying he would prefer the Ballon d'or over another Champions League title with us is selfish nonsense. Leaving before he is made captain is a sign that he doesn't deserve to be captain. Where is the leadership or commitment to the club? You want it or you don't, lad.
Richard: It isn't that he wants to leave - what hurts the most is that he has run down his contract to go for free. A player who not all that long ago wanted to become club captain and now doesn't seem to care we won't even get a fee to help replace him.
Josh: It does significant damage to his legacy. He will not win a Ballon d'Or with Madrid as he will never be the star. He will be the one providing Kylian Mbappe, Bellingham and Vini Jr. What sticks the most is that he has the opportunity to be the star with us! We are potentially on the cusp of something really special.
Mike: I'm not upset with TAA because he wants to leave, but rather the manner in which he has handled it. He dragged it out so he could leave on a free. He played the club out! Dishonourable! I'll be happy to see his back.
The case for Alexander-Arnold's defencepublished at 11:55 26 March
11:55 26 March
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Here are some of your more favourable comments about Trent Alexander-Arnold's potential Real Madrid move:
Arthur: I've been going to Anfield since dad took me to the Kop in 1963. We've always had legendary players who leave, possibly before their time. I wish him well, his cheeky corner to Divock Origi against Barcelona epitomised Trent's skill, ingenuity and freedom. We've an academy contingent coming through - can't wait. As ever, we'll find the most difficult, white knuckle way of achieving our goals. YNWA!
Andrew: Football is ruthless. Fans are fickle. Owners are mercenary. Why should players sacrifice themselves for either of them?
Duncan: TAA has done it all for Liverpool - won the lot. He is still an ambitious, talented young man and has every right to go and challenge himself elsewhere. I am gutted to see him go but, as always, we will find another... if we haven't already in Conor Bradley. Good luck, Trent - a Liverpool legend!
Taylor: I suspect this move is an indicator of the lack of ambition from FSG. There is little doubt it would have been laid on thick for TAA with a whopper contract and promises about future plans. My guess is those plans were unimpressive - and didn't include Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk. As much as I wish he was staying, I can't blame Trent for jumping ship if those two are leaving on a free as well! I know a lot of fans are going after Trent for this, but in my eyes the club are primarily responsible.
Bob: Follow your dream. You won't be the first LFC player to go to Madrid. You've won everything here so time to move on. Pity we didn't offer you a new contract before now, though.
David: If a different employer offers you amazing money to do your job elsewhere, who are we to judge a young man who wants to better himself?
Jason: When Jordan Henderson left, Trent should have been made captain. When they gave it to Virgil the club has disrespected him. It's the worst insult - when it is your dream and all they give you is the vice-captain job!
Alex: Trent wants to try something different having won everything at LFC and who can blame him? You only get one career. Would be sad to also see VVD and Mo go when they've said they want to stay, but football is a business - players rise and fall and new ones come. You can see why the club might be keen to cut a few big salaries to finance some up-and-coming talent.
'This is a Liverpool boy who wants to come out of his comfort zone'published at 11:52 26 March
11:52 26 March
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Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander just "wants to come out of his comfort zone", says Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.
It was revealed on Tuesday that La Liga giants Real Madrid are in talks over finalising a move for the 26-year-old in the summer when his contract runs out.
After saying in an interview in October that he would rather win a Ballon d'Or, external than another Champions League with Liverpool, many believed Alexander-Arnold was looking to make the move to Real.
"This transfer started, really, in 2023 when Real Madrid - in their new policy of recruitment - identified him as potentially one of best right-backs in the world because of his finishing," Balague told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"They tried to sign him in January but Liverpool didn't entertain the idea and Real Madrid were hoping he would not renew his contract.
"The appeal of Real Madrid is huge for Trent in his battle to become the best right-back in the world and a Ballon d'Or contender.
"It's not that he wants to win it, it's just that he wants to fight to win it, which is quite different. He feels by becoming a regular at Real Madrid it brings him closer to that dream of the Ballon d'Or.
"This is a Liverpool boy who wants to come out of his comfort zone and, in my eyes, that is really something to admire."
Media caption,
Alexander-Arnold could become Real Madrid's 'superstar'published at 11:51 26 March
11:51 26 March
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Should Trent Alexander-Arnold join Real Madrid, he would emulate Steve McManaman, who also moved from Anfield to the Bernabeu on a free transfer in 1999.
"If he does choose to go to Real Madrid and he does choose to forge a new adventure with a new language and a new lifestyle, all credit to him," McManaman told BBC Sport.
"It is a fantastic opportunity for him, if he does go, and no doubt he will be a superstar there as well."
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and top scorer Mohamed Salah are also out of contract at the end of the season, but McManaman thinks a homegrown player like Alexander-Arnold leaving for free would be viewed differently by supporters.
"It's unfair [to expect homegrown players to commit to one club for their entire career]. If Van Dijk or Salah leave, then it it is Liverpool's fault. If Trent was to leave, then it is Trent's fault," he added.
While Conor Bradley has proven a reliable replacement when called upon in the past two seasons, McManaman believes Alexander-Arnold would leave a "considerable hole" at Liverpool.
"[Bradley is] a completely different player to Trent Alexander-Arnold," he said.
"Trent's numbers in an attacking sense are absolutely fantastic, but Liverpool fans and everybody will hope that Conor Bradley will be able to fill that void.
"You have a standard level and, every year, you try to improve and get better and better.
"We all hope that Conor Bradley achieves that and becomes the superstar that people are talking about when they talk about Trent Alexander-Arnold."
Would Real free transfer damage Alexander-Arnold's legacy?published at 09:15 26 March
09:15 26 March
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"Trent Alexander-Arnold has said so many times that he wanted to finish his career at Liverpool but something changed this year and he picked wanting to win the Ballon d'Or rather than achievements with Liverpool."
That is the view of Liverpool fan Abigail Rudkin, who believes the pursuit of individual honours may have turned Alexander-Arnold's head towards Real Madrid.
"I thought in that moment it changed a bit to the Trent Alexander-Arnold show - looking after himself and what he can achieve," added Rudkin. "I think he feels he can win the Ballon d'Or at Madrid.
"As a Liverpool fan you're just devastated... but he has won everything there is to win at Liverpool.
"We are all living vicariously through Trent and now [it looks like] he has decided Madrid is the new dream. That's why we're all gutted."
What do you think about Alexander-Arnold looking set to leave? Do you understand it as a new challenge or would an exit in this way damage his Anfield legacy?
The Star opts for for the angle of Real returning for Alexander-Arnold after sources say they have been tracking him for two years, while The Express focuses on the "big money offer" that is reportedly set to "lure" him to Madrid.
The Metro goes for the punny 'TAA-RA THEN' in reference to the England defender's initials, while the Guardian reports that it is likely to be a five-year deal for Alexander-Arnold at the Bernabeu.
'I don't blame Trent... it's the club's carelessness'published at 08:53 26 March
08:53 26 March
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Liverpool fan and writer Steven Scragg says he doesn't "blame" Trent Alexander-Arnold if he wants to leave Anfield for Real Madrid this summer, citing the club's "carelessness" as one of the main reasons the academy graduate looks set to leave.
Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside, Scragg said: "The more it has rumbled on, the less of a shock it has become. It's disappointing news to hear that it's basically a done deal because nobody wants to lose a player of that calibre or value.
"Real Madrid have picked a player off us three times now. They got two players for free and then Michael Owen at a significant markdown.
"It is a multi-faceted thing: you don't want to lose a player of that calibre, no matter what.
"We often talk about how we lost Philippe Coutinho. For the price of Coutinho we got Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, but there isn't going to be a cushion that is comparable this time round.
"Hopefully he will be leaving behind the reigning Premier League champions - so there is going to be life after him and I don't blame him for wanting to go.
"If there's going to be any kind of finger-pointing then it should be the club's carelessness in allowing it to get to this situation, plus the fact that they have done it to so many different players."
Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid - how did we get here?published at 08:42 26 March
08:42 26 March
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Having joined Liverpool at the age of six, Trent Alexander-Arnold was given his first-team debut by Jurgen Klopp in October 2016.
He established himself as a key member of a side that won the Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup in the space of 14 months in 2019 and 2020.
Alexander-Arnold signed a new four-year contract in 2021 and scored penalties in shootouts of both finals as Liverpool won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in 2021-22.
The England full-back was named in the PFA team of the season for the third time at the end of that campaign and in July 2023 was named Liverpool vice-captain.
"I've never been shy of saying what my ambitions are and that's always been to captain this club," Alexander-Arnold said at the time. "This is a pathway and a stepping stone to that."
By the summer of 2024, and just a year left on his contract, the relationship between fans and Alexander-Arnold has become more strained.
Since then, there has been a belief among some fans that he is more focused on his own achievements.
In December, he celebrated scoring against West Ham with a 'chat' gesture, referencing the gossip about his future.
That brought more fan frustration given that by not publicly stating his desire to stay or leave, Alexander-Arnold had done little to quieten speculation.
While the defender has since helped put Liverpool in a strong position to win the Premier League title, it remains to be seen what kind of reception he will receive from supporters as he looks increasingly likely to leave his boyhood club for nothing.
'I think the fans love me'published at 08:39 26 March
08:39 26 March
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Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo has spoken about the great support from supporters that he receives and how "thankful" head coach Arne Slot is of his contributions this season.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Red Machine podcast, the Japan international said he has noticed there is more attention on him.
"This season, when I play on the pitch, the Liverpool fans always try to support me and they always comment on my Instagram or X," he said.
"So, I really feel like they support me. I think the fans love me."
The 32-year-old has made 26 appearances so far this campaign for the Reds, and has gained a bit of a reputation for helping to see games out when coming off the bench. He also spoke about the recent praise he has had from Slot.
"Recently he told me what I have done this season was really amazing and really helpful for the team," he added.
"Even if I don't have chance to play a lot, when I play on the pitch I always try to give 100% to help the team. My manager is really thankful for that."
Gossip: Liverpool to rival Arsenal for Hatopublished at 08:15 26 March
08:15 26 March
Arsenal have joined Liverpool in the race to sign 19-year-old Netherlands defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax. (Team talk), external
'Alexander-Arnold has won everything with the club - but fans are gutted'published at 19:57 25 March
19:57 25 March
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Liverpool fan Abigail Rudkin says reports that Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to leave the club for Real Madrid have left fans feeling "devastated" despite it being the news a lot of them were expecting.
Speaking about the news to BBC Radio Merseyside, Rudkin said: "It's very sad for Liverpool fans - it's put a bit of a dampener on the title.
"Not a very big dampener but it does have that feeling of last game of the season are we going to give Trent some sort of goodbye?
"The parade if we do win the league, does that have some sad emotion to it? Some bittersweet emotion about it if he's walking away with the Premier League trophy under his arms.
"But, we have been expecting it. This season Virgil [Van Dijk] stopped in the mixed zone and said he wanted to stay, [Mohamed] Salah's stopped and said we're far away from what he wants but that he does want to stay.
"Trent didn't do that - he stayed very quiet all season and articles came out saying he didn't want it being played out in the media but the opposite has happened - it's created more speculation than anyone wanted which has led us to where we are now with everyone saying he's agreed to go there.
"He's said so many times that he wanted to finish his career at Liverpool but something changed this year and he picked wanting to win the Ballon d'Or rather than achievements with Liverpool.
"I thought in that moment it changed a bit to the Trent Alexander-Arnold show - looking after himself and what he can achieve. I think he feels he can win the Ballon d'Or at Madrid but I don't think so - I think there's other players that can get there before him.
"As a Liverpool fan you're just devastated to see he's made that decision - but he has won everything there is to win at Liverpool.
"We are all living vicariously through Trent and now he has decided Madrid is the new dream - that's why we're all gutted."
'Asking for trouble' or 'club will survive'? Fans on out-of-contract triopublished at 16:11 25 March
16:11 25 March
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Speculation around the futures of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk continues, so we gave you the hypothetical situation that all three leave at the end of their contracts and asked what would happen next.
Here are some of your comments:
Steven: Would it be worse than Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush etc leaving? No. They are going to leave at some point. If they want to go, the club will survive.
Andy: Will have to do some remarkable transfer business to retain the title for 2025-26 season. They will be lucky to get into the top six without those three.
Ben: The club would be asking for trouble if that happened. You have three of the greatest players in the world, in form and on a hot streak of winning the league. How do you expect to win or challenge if you don't renew the contracts of the standout players of the season? Top scorer and easily the best finisher in the game, the best passer of the ball in the world and a tank of a defender who deals with most situations with absolute ease. Get those contracts drawn up, signed, sealed and delivered and let's continue bringing amazing times back to Anfield.
Scott: Everyone leaves sooner or later. Once they're gone, I don't care. Time to move on and support the team and who is playing for the team. No-one is bigger than the club.
Dan: If they all left on a free I would feel let down by the club. Salah and Van Dijk have both stated their desire to stay so how could the club then fail to come to an agreement with world-class players still performing at the highest level? It is a bit different with Alexander-Arnold. He hasn't stated his desire to stay so that's up to him. No hard feelings there.
Rae: Whatever the outcome of the Van Dijk, Salah and Alexander-Arnold contracts, this surely reflects badly on Fenway Sports Group and the director of football. That all could leave the club for nothing is poor business strategy.
David: It wouldn't be the end of the world if all three left. We have a ready-made replacement for Alexander-Arnold in Conor Bradley and, given the age of the other two, they will need replacing in the near future, even if it isn't this summer. Given how little was spent last summer, there should be decent money available to buy replacements.
Key trio leave - how would you feel and what happens next?published at 13:15 25 March
13:15 25 March
With so much up in the air, we thought we'd paint a picture and explore what your reaction would be as a Liverpool fan if the below comes to fruition.
It is 1 July 2025 and Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander Arnold have all left the club on free transfers after their contracts came to an end.
So how would you feel? And what would happen next?
'You shouldn't be doing open heart surgery on the team'published at 13:14 25 March
13:14 25 March
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Liverpool should be "doing everything they possibly can" to keep "unique players" Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk at the club, fan Ben Kent has told BBC Radio Merseyside.
The uncertain futures of the three key players has been an ongoing undercurrent to the Reds' impressive season, with all their contracts coming to an end in the summer.
"I said six months ago that if we get to November and none have signed then we are in a horrific position. We are now five months further on from that," Kent said.
"I think it is an open secret Trent will leave. I hope I am wrong, I really do, but I do expect that to happen. With Salah and Van Dijk, I think my heart says both stay and my head is just clouded. I like to think the club is doing everything they possibly can to keep them because why would you not?
"It doesn't send the best message out to players coming to the club if you are fighting a battle to keep two of the best players in the world. We can argue all day about age and numbers, but there is no better centre-half in the world currently than Van Dijk - no-one will ever convince me there is. He is 33 and this is his best season for Liverpool ever. He is not regressing in any way."
"I know FSG and the club generally have a policy for players over the age of 30, but these are unique players," Kent added. "We are talking about the captain of the club [in Van Dijk] and one of the best players ever to play for the club in Mo Salah.
"If Salah signed a three-year contract and his numbers dropped off next season, the club could sell him to Saudi Arabia next summer for x amount of money.
"It would be a shame for Liverpool, if and when they do win the league, to go on and have a rebuild because it shouldn't be that way. It should be building and fine-tweaking. You shouldn't be doing open heart surgery on the team."
'We need more from all of them' to not 'falter at the final hurdle'published at 11:45 25 March
11:45 25 March
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We asked for your views on which players need to step up for Liverpool to help them over the line in the Premier League.
Here are some of your comments:
Scott: These past few weeks have really highlighted where we should have strengthened at the start of the season. As an opposing manager or fan, I'd not be overly worried about the impact our bench will have on a game if we're in need of finding something. Sides also seem to have found out our style of play and we don't have a plan B to try. I'd like to think we've done enough to win the league this season but next year we could end up middle of the pack, especially if Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah all leave. I hate to say it but we'd be one very average team then. It is not all doom and gloom, though. Dom Szoboszlai is up there with Salah and Alisson this season. A total transformation!
Mark: Diogo Jota needs to raise his game. I'm a big fan but he has been lacklustre by his standards. Arne Slot should have played Wataru Endo against Newcastle. Our midfield was exhausted and, in turn, overrun - but hindsight is a wonderful thing. In the past few seasons, Liverpool have run out of steam by March. Slot now needs to use the squad wisely, including Endo and Federico Chiesa. Cody Gakpo will be a key player in the run-in.
Rob: We need more goals from somewhere. It could be argued Salah is selfish, but his stats don't lie. More goals from central midfield, set-plays and the other "strikers" will see us over the line. I'd like to see wholesale changes to our attacking options in the summer and press on once more, because the rest of the league will not sit still.
Richard: We appear to be beginning to falter at the final hurdle. Salah went absent in both PSG ties and the cup final. Gakpo's form has dipped recently. Luis Diaz always looks lively, but doesn't really deliver as much as his activity should. Darwin Nunez is just a miss as a player. And Jota has not really refound his form post-injury. We need more from all them, although we are only in this potential league-winning position because of Mo. It seems like heads have already exited the building. It seems like Trent has already gone. It seems, now, like Mo and Virgil might also be leaving. It is hard to watch what appears to be the beginning of a gut-wrenching capitulation.
Roger: Now is the time for Harvey Elliott and Chiesa. Both have been starved of action, but both have shown they can contribute defining moments. They can be the catalyst at a critical time when others are below par. Jarell Quansah is another who can make an impression, with some of our defenders injured or looking a bit jaded. What price on Nunez being an unlikely hero? Priceless! Everton will be tough after the international break, but a draw would not be the worst result.
Who do Liverpool need more from to get over the line?published at 08:48 25 March
08:48 25 March
Jordan Chamberlain Fan writer
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Liverpool's players have largely been exemplary this season. After all, the Reds are 12 points clear going into the final nine games and virtual shoo-ins for Premier League glory.
However, Mohamed Salah needs some more help up top. He has carried the attack this term but looked a little tired in the big matches before the international break.
Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez simply have not contributed enough. Federico Chiesa came on in the Carabao Cup final, looked lively and scored, so perhaps we will see some more of the Italian, with Cody Gakpo also out of form.
In midfield, we need Ryan Gravenberch back to his best from the beginning of the campaign. In fairness, Arne Slot has run him into the ground, and hopefully the fact he has been sent away from Netherlands duty on a precautionary basis will enable him to recharge his batteries.
Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones have all had good seasons, but it would be handy if they could chip in with a few more goals given the enormous reliance on Salah.
At the back, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have a brilliant partnership, but it is not looking great at full-back. Andy Robertson is having a poor season and a new left-back will be signed in the summer. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez are injured, leaving Jarrell Quansah as the right-back option.
If Salah can find his ruthless best, however, Liverpool will have the title wrapped up before the end of April.
Gossip: Alexander-Arnold agrees terms with Realpublished at 06:47 25 March
06:47 25 March
Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has agreed terms with Real Madrid on a five-year contract and will join the Spanish giants on a free. (Sky Sports Switzerland - in French, external)
Gossip: Isak and Kane both favour Liverpool movespublished at 07:25 24 March
07:25 24 March
Newcastle striker Alexander Isak is open to a move to Barcelona but would prefer to join Liverpool if they make a move for the 25-year-old Sweden international this summer. (El Nacional - in Spanish, external)
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, 31, is considering a return to England this summer, with Liverpool his preferred destination. (Fichajes - in Spanish, external)
Liverpool hope to use 19-year-old Scotland winger Ben Doak as a makeweight in any deal for Bournemouth's 21-year-old Hungary full-back Milos Kerkez or 25-year-old Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo. (Sun, external)
Finally, the Reds are willing to sell 25-year-old Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez this summer. (Football Insider, external)
Image source, Getty Images
