Trent Alexander-Arnold transfer news: Real Madrid in talks over finalising signing of Liverpool full-back

Having joined the club at the age of six, Alexander-Arnold progressed through the Liverpool academy and was given his first-team debut by Jurgen Klopp in October 2016.

He has 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 the summer of 2021 and scored penalties in shootouts of both finals as Liverpool won the League 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, he had just a year left on his contract and with no suggestion that a new deal was close to being agreed, the relationship between Liverpool fans and Alexander-Arnold has become more strained.

Alexander-Arnold irritated some Reds supporters in October by saying in an interview with Sky Sports that he would rather win a Ballon d’Or,, external football’s most prestigious individual honour, than another Champions League with Liverpool.

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 over where he will be playing football next season.

Reports that Real had made an offer to bring the Liverpool number 66 to Madrid in January coincided with a tough afternoon for Alexander-Arnold against Manchester United, leading to abuse from some of his own fans inside Anfield.

While the defender has helped put Liverpool in a strong position to win the Premier League title in the months since, it remains to be seen what kind of reception Alexander-Arnold will receive from supporters as he looks increasingly likely to leave his boyhood club for nothing.