Spanish insider Guillem Balague has dismissed the notion that right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave Real Madrid imminently. Earlier reports suggested a potential January transfer for the England international to Chelsea or his former club Liverpool.
The journalist firmly commented on these speculations via the social media platform X.
Let me start with the news. Trent Alexander-Arnold will not leave Real in January. Write this one off and move on. I know that some will continue to repeat this idea because it works. Clickbait. But he is not leaving.
I have spoken to people who know the situation very well, and from Trent's side, there has been no attempt to leave for any club. Not one. A lot of noise comes from the fact that his name generates traffic and engagement. Put Liverpool and Trent in the same sentence, and you get a lot of clicks. And, with all due respect to Liverpool, there is nothing on the table from them, at least in terms of transfers for that position. But I don't want to reduce it all to Liverpool. Broader assumptions that he wants to leave Real are nonsense. The future he is focused on is Real.
Balague added that missing out on the England squad for the World Cup has motivated the defender further, and he is now in peak physical condition.
The people I have spoken to say this has made him more determined and hungry. Not being selected for the England squad for the World Cup has also given him extra motivation. He wanted every aspect of his game that he could control to be at the highest level. His physical condition and availability are paramount, so there will be no excuses when it comes to being included in the squad for Real or the England team.
He has brought in special physical trainers and has worked on his nutrition. He is very, very focused on being the best he can be. I've been told he has never been in better shape, and if you talk to people at Real, they will tell you exactly the same. By every metric you would look at to ask if a player is doing things right, he is getting top marks. Leaving is not in his plans, and as far as I know, it is not in Real's plans either.
