Real Madrid make Trent U-TURN after Barcelona thrashing

Real Madrid’s 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Barcelona on Sunday has sparked a dramatic change of transfer policy at the Bernabeu that could see Trent Alexander-Arnold leave Liverpool for the Spanish capital before the end of month.

Los Blancos were hammered by their greatest rivals in the Supercopa de Espana – the second time Barcelona have heavily beaten them this season.

Carlo Ancelotti’s plan of fielding an ultra-attacking side against the Blaugrana has backfired on both occasions, with the defensive weaknesses of his Real Madrid outfit all too evident against a top-level offensive side.

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In particular, there are concerns down the right flank, where Dani Carvajal is out long term with an injury, meaning Lucas Vazquez has filled in. Fede Valverde was considered the alternative for big games, but Ancelotti does not want to lose the Uruguay star from his midfield.

This is where Trent comes in.

The Liverpool star is out of contract in June and apparently heading for free agency, but Real Madrid’s struggles could prompt them into an early move for the England defender, whose form has largely been outstanding this season.

The Bernabeu side have already been told that their €15 million offer for Alexander-Arnold will not be enough to take him away from Anfield at this juncture, yet Marca reports that their hopes of landing the player are not dead.

“The option of trying again to sign Alexander Arnold is still alive,” it states.

Previously, any January deal was thought to have been put to bed.

Trent the only possibility?

Real Madrid may have played themselves into the position whereby Alexander-Arnold is their only realistic option to fill the role until the end of the season.

If they have indeed struck a deal with the Liverpool star, it seems importable that they will spend significantly to fill the berth for six months on anyone who is not the 26-year-old. It would not be a move that would make sense, particularly with Carvajal set to return next season.

The loan market could be an option, but with a lack of top-quality options liable to be available Real Madrid are likely to once again circle round on Trent being their best option.

Equally, though, Liverpool will be aware of this situation and will seek to extract every cent they possibly can from a potential deal.

Alexander-Arnold has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €27.3m, and it may well take something like this figure for the Reds to even consider selling, despite the star having just six months left on his Anfield deal.