Liverpool legend concerned Trent Alexander-Arnold will join Real Madrid

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is concerned that Trent Alexander-Arnold's ambition to win the Ballon d'Or will see him leave the club to join Real Madrid.

The 26-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, alongside teammates Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, and there's been no indication that the full-back is close to signing fresh terms.

Instead, Alexander-Arnold has been heavily linked with a move to 15-time Champions League winners Real Madrid, who were surprisingly battered 4-0 by rivals Barcelona at home this past weekend in the first Clasico of the season.

PSG have also been credited with interest in Alexander-Arnold, who revealed prior to Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal that he wants to be the first full-back to ever win the highly coveted Ballon d'Or.

Alexander-Arnold admitted he wants to create a legacy and be remembered as the "greatest right-back to ever play football" - something Carragher feels he will only achieve if he ends up leaving Liverpool for Madrid.

"My first thought when I saw that is you're not going to win the Ballon d'Or as a right-back for Liverpool," Carragher told Sky Sports. "Ballon d'Or winners normally play for Real Madrid or Barcelona. That's where the best players in the world go.

"If that is his ultimate ambition - I think he was asked about winning the Champions League, the World Cup or the Ballon d'Or and he went for the Ballon d'Or - which I think is a bit strange or bizarre because it is a team game, but he has got massive ambitions and why not? You've only got one career, he 's a unique full back and he's absolutely amazing.

"But the first thing that came to me when I read that interview is that makes me think he is going to Real Madrid.

He continued: "I actually think Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah will stay. I do believe that, but the longer it goes on with Trent, the more I feel he is going to leave.

"It is the biggest club in the world. Going back to him being a local lad, there will be a frustration for Liverpool supporters the longer that this carries on and he doesn't sign a contract. "

Alexander-Arnold has made over 330 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions since breaking into the first team during the 2016/17 season. He quickly became a regular starter for Jurgen Klopp, playing a key role in the club's run to back-to-back Champions League finals between 2017 and 2019.

The second of those finals resulted in a first major European trophy for Alexander-Arnold, and Premier League glory followed a season later when Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for a top flight title.

Alongside Andrew Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, who is Liverpool's vice-captain, has been recognised as one of the most consistent and top performing full-backs in the Premier League, though questions have often been asked about his defensive capabilities.

During Euro 2024, England experimented with playing Alexander-Arnold in midfield - a role he also occupied for Klopp towards the end of his Liverpool tenure - but Arne Slot has opted to play him as a more conventional full-back in what has been an impressive start to the 2024/25 season.

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