Real Madrid eyes Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold after Carvajal’s injury blow

Real Madrid is at a fork in the road regarding the right-back position, since this is a place occupied by one of the most powerful soccer clubs in the world. The grave injury to Dani Carvajal will keep him out of the fields for at least eight months, something that rings the alarm bells within the club. With the season now in full flow and such a key player missing, management is looking to find an effective replacement as soon as possible. If the top Spanish newspapers are anything to go by, then Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool's right-back, is the first name on their list.

Follow Playing for 90 on X (Twitter).

Carvajal's Injury and Its Impact on Real Madrid

Dani Carvajal, a stalwart in Carlo Ancelotti's backline, suffered a serious knee injury that really placed Real Madrid between a rock and a hard place. His absence will force the Italian head coach into improvisation until the January transfer market, at which point the club can sign a new right-back. At the moment, only Lucas Vázquez in the first team is capable of covering the position; however, his experience on the right-back side is limited, since he is originally a winger.

This case puts pressure on the Real Madrid management to act as quickly as possible and secure top-tier reinforcements in order to fill in the gap and keep the team competitive in the various competitions it finds itself involved in, both domestic and international.

The Interest in Trent Alexander-Arnold

It is well known that Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the biggest talents among right-backs in soccer today, and Real Madrid has been keeping him in their sights a long time ago, not after Carvajal's injury. The Spanish club believes Alexander-Arnold embodies the ideal profile for a strategic signing: he is young, super talented, and so far does have an excellent track record of success. His contract with Liverpool will expire in June 2025, which permits Real Madrid to sign him on a free transfer after the end of this deal.

However, with the emergence of Carvajal's injury, all plans changed. According to reports by Spanish media, such as "Marca" and "As," Real Madrid is ready to speed up the negotiations and try to sign Alexander-Arnold as early as January 2024, instead of waiting until 2025. This change in strategy underlines how serious the club management is about not losing competitiveness of the team in such a crucial season.

Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool: An Uncertain Future

The situation between Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool is very delicate at the moment. Considering how much the right-back has meant for the club in recent times, his profound disinterest in renewing his contract may smooth negotiations with Real Madrid. With fantastic aspirations for his career, perhaps a move to Spain will afford him the big leap he would wish to see himself make.

Besides that, Alexander-Arnold is well acquainted with Jude Bellingham, the current star of Real Madrid and his teammate within the English national team. That kind of friendship will play a huge part in smoothing Arnold's adaptation and integration into the Madrid team. Bellingham has already earned his place in the team and become an integral part of it, which might play both as an example and motivation for Alexander-Arnold in case the transfer goes through.

Considering all of these, Real Madrid's chase for the signature of Alexander-Arnold is stronger than ever.