The Future of Trent Alexander-Arnold: Barcelona or Real Madrid on the Horizon?

The future of Trent Alexander-Arnold remains a mystery for Liverpool's management. Although the club is betting on his renewal, the 26-year-old defender is taking all the time he needs to wait for other offers before negotiating with the 'reds'. The England international is one of Real Madrid's preferred options to strengthen the right flank, but FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also keeping an eye on his future.

For Madrid, Trent would be a luxury reinforcement to cover a seriously compromised position after Dani Carvajal's injury. Although 'La Casa Blanca' is confident in the recovery of the Spanish defender next season, it is evident that the team needs another right-back, a position that Florentino Pérez has refused to strengthen for several years. Arnold's contract expires on June 30, so he has full freedom to negotiate with any club since January 1, and he has already been mentioned as a 'merengue' reinforcement in the winter market, but there was no agreement between the parties.

The Salary of Alexander-Arnold, a Problem for Barcelona

In the case of Barça, the Blaugrana team would be delighted to incorporate one of the best full-backs in Europe at 'zero cost', although the club fully trusts Jules Koundé to occupy the right side of the team for many more years. However, the salary of the '66' from Liverpool would be a problem for the already tight Blaugrana salary cap. The 26-year-old defender currently earns 10 million net per season, a salary that will increase if he decides to renew with the 'reds'.

If Barcelona decides to bring in a 'top' right-back, they could move Koundé to his natural position (the center of the defense). This move would make more sense if, ultimately, Ronald Araujo requested to leave the club in the summer. The 'charrúa' recently renewed until 2031, but he reserved the right to leave in the next market for 65 million euros, as long as there is a team interested in him and the '4' considers that the best thing for his career is to try his luck away from Catalonia.