Did Manchester City expose Trent Alexander-Arnold's weakness as Real Madrid pursues Liverpool star?

Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold ‘s future looks uncertain at the moment as his contract is set to expire at the end of the ongoing season. There has been no official confirmation from Anfield whether the England international’s contract will be renewed or will the leave club once his contract expires. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been an instrumental player for Liverpool in the ongoing season as they are in pursuit to clinch the Premier League for a record-equalling 20th time. Since there has been no official update regarding his future, several clubs began to approach the England international, with interest from Real Madrid. The Los Blancos have been targeting Trent Alexander-Arnold in order to strengthen their bench for the upcoming season.

The reports have emerged that Real Madrid have been working on signing Trent Alexander-Arnold for months, and they believe the deal is almost done. The English right-back’s contract with Liverpool ends this season, and it looks like he will join Real Madrid for free in the summer.

If Real Madrid signs Alexander-Arnold, it would be a great signing for Los Blancos since they need a new right-back. Carlo Ancelotti’s side current options, Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, are getting older, and Carvajal is also recovering from a serious knee injury which sustained during aLa Liga match against Villarreal in October 2024. However, Sunday’s match between Manchester City and Liverpool, which The Reds won 2-0 to strengthen their grip on top of the Premier League points table, showed some of Alexander-Arnold’s weaknesses.

He struggled against Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku and was dribbled past 11 times in the game—the most by any player in the Premier League this season. According to Relevo, this performance is a warning for Real Madrid, as it highlights the areas Alexander-Arnold needs to improve if he joins them. Real Madrid still have Carvajal, who can mentor Alexander-Arnold and even start in important matches against tough wingers like Doku. Federico Valverde, who has played well as a right-back recently, is another option.

At 26, Alexander-Arnold is still young, and he can work on his defensive skills if he moves to Madrid. The club has the right facilities to help him improve, but Liverpool are still hoping to keep him. As per the reports, Arne Slot is looking to keep Alexander-Arnold at Anfield and is keen on convincing him to extend his contract, alongside Mohamed Salah, whose contract at Liverpool is set to expire in June.