It hasn’t been the Bernabéu fairytale that many expected, and now the storyline around Trent Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid is taking a darker turn. Reports emerging out of England suggest the 28-year-old right-back is actively weighing up his options ahead of 2027, with a host of top clubs — including his former side Liverpool — keeping a very close eye on developments in the Spanish capital.
What’s Going On
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Alexander-Arnold has grown increasingly frustrated with his lack of playing time at Real Madrid and is now giving serious thought to whether his long-term future lies at the club. The England international has managed just four starts across all competitions so far this season — a number that tells its own story about his standing in José Mourinho’s plans.
Things were underlined even more bluntly last weekend, when Mourinho opted to deploy midfielder Federico Valverde at right-back rather than hand Alexander-Arnold a start. That kind of selection decision — publicly prioritising a player so far out of position over a specialist — is rarely a good sign for the man being left on the bench.
To make matters worse for TAA, he’s been sitting firmly behind Denzel Dumfries in the right-back pecking order. Dumfries has made the position his own, and with Mourinho apparently unconvinced by Alexander-Arnold’s defensive profile, the former Liverpool man has found himself in a frustrating limbo — too good to be a squad filler, not trusted enough to be a starter.
As for who might come calling, the list is eye-catching. Liverpool are named as one of the clubs monitoring the situation — a potential romantic return to Merseyside that would have seemed unthinkable when he made the high-profile move to Madrid. But they’re far from alone. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Bayern Munich are all credited with an interest in his services, according to the same report. With that calibre of suitor circling, Alexander-Arnold is hardly short of options.
What It Means for Real Madrid
From a pure squad-management perspective, this situation is one that Real Madrid’s hierarchy will need to address sooner rather than later. A frustrated, under-used player of Alexander-Arnold’s quality and profile is a problem — both in terms of morale and in terms of getting value from what was a major acquisition.
Alexander-Arnold arrived at the Bernabéu with enormous fanfare, billed as one of the most technically gifted full-backs of his generation and a player whose passing range and creativity from deep could genuinely reshape how Madrid attacked from the right flank. The vision was compelling. The reality, at least so far, has been considerably messier.
Mourinho’s tactical preferences have never been especially friendly to attack-minded full-backs, and that tension appears to be at the heart of the problem. The Portuguese manager tends to demand defensive discipline and positional rigidity from his backline — qualities that don’t always play to Alexander-Arnold’s greatest strengths. It was always going to be an interesting fit; right now it looks like a difficult one.
For the club, losing Alexander-Arnold in 2027 — whether on a transfer fee or, potentially, as a contract situation — would represent a significant underachievement on what was a high-profile signing. It also raises broader questions about recruitment strategy and whether the profiles being brought to the Bernabéu are truly suited to Mourinho’s system.
What’s Next
It’s October 2026, which means there’s still a January transfer window between now and the summer — and an awful lot of football to be played. Alexander-Arnold may yet earn Mourinho’s trust, or the manager’s stance could soften if injuries or form demand a rethink. But if the playing time doesn’t improve significantly in the coming months, you’d expect these transfer rumours to grow louder, not quieter.
For Madridistas, it’s a situation worth watching closely. Nobody wants to see a player of this level wasted on the bench. But equally, the priority will always be results and titles — and if Mourinho genuinely believes his best eleven doesn’t include Alexander-Arnold, the club may face a tough decision about whether to cash in while his market value remains high.
One thing’s for certain: a player of TAA’s calibre sitting unhappy in the stands is a situation that can’t go on indefinitely. Watch this space.
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