Liverpool eye Trent Alexander-Arnold return amid Real Madrid struggles

Liverpool are exploring a dramatic move to bring Trent Alexander-Arnold back to Anfield, with the defender’s Real Madrid career stalling under Jose Mourinho.

Talks have already begun between Liverpool and the player’s representatives over a potential January loan, according to Spanish outlet SER Deportivos. The club sense an opening in the winter window as Alexander-Arnold’s minutes shrink and his status erodes inside the Bernabéu dressing room.

Once the poster boy of Liverpool’s modern era, the 28-year-old now finds himself on the fringes in Spain. He has started just 4 of Real Madrid’s 13 matches this season, slipping to third choice at right-back behind Federico Valverde and summer signing Denzel Dumfries.

The clearest sign of his slide came in the clásico. Mourinho chose Valverde at right-back for the high-stakes clash with Barcelona, a game Madrid went on to win 2-1. On a night when the Portuguese manager trusted Valverde out of position, Alexander-Arnold never got near the starting XI. For a player once billed as a cornerstone of Madrid’s future, that decision spoke loudly.

Interest in the England international is nothing new. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have all been linked with him in previous windows. Yet people close to Alexander-Arnold insist he is not actively pushing to leave Madrid, even as his role diminishes.

The obstacles are obvious. His salary is huge — around €16.7 million a year — and any temporary deal would require delicate financial engineering. There is also the human side of the equation. Alexander-Arnold has forged a close bond with Jude Bellingham, one of the pillars of Madrid’s project. Club figures are wary of unsettling the midfielder or creating any ripple that might disturb his trajectory in Spain.

Still, Liverpool’s need is real.

The club are wrestling with a full-blown right-back problem. Conor Bradley has only just returned from knee surgery and is still working his way back to full sharpness. Jeremie Frimpong remains out with a muscular injury. The depth chart has thinned quickly, and the situation has forced Liverpool to scan the market — and their own past.

That search has led them back to a familiar name, one who left Anfield under a cloud and amid controversy, but whose quality has never been in doubt. A reunion would be complicated, politically charged and financially heavy.

It would also be one of the most intriguing moves of the January window if Liverpool decide to push it over the line.