Trent warned off Real Madrid move: ‘You become a tradable asset’

Michael Owen, speaking from personal experience, has told Trent Alexander-Arnold to think twice about joining Real Madrid next year.

The Liverpool vice-captain is out of contract in 2025 and the Reds have been dragging their heels in handing out fresh deals to their key players. Alexander-Arnold is one of three superstars, along with captain Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, who could be free agents in the summer.

An academy product and fan favourite, Alexander-Arnold has a special connection with Liverpool, but his interest in a move may be piqued by the fact that Real Madrid are keeping a close eye on his contract situation.

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Alexander-Arnold cherishes what he has at Liverpool, as he recently revealed in an interview with Sky Sports in which he reflected on his journey into the senior side. “There’s nothing like it,” he said. “The best under-21 games you can ever play in won’t even come close to a first-team training session.”

Many have expressed their opinion on what the full-back should or shouldn’t do, but few can speak from personal experience when it comes to moving from Liverpool to Real Madrid. Controversial former Reds player Michael Owen certainly can and he has now advised the homegrown to stay put.

Owen warns Alexander-Arnold

Speaking to The Athletic, Owen explained how his move to Real Madrid severed his connection with his boyhood and turned him into a ‘tradable asset.’ The former striker and Ballon d’Or winner would go on to tarnish his Liverpool legacy by joining hated rivals Man Utd in 2009 and admits it ‘bloody hurts’ that he no longer feels welcome at Anfield.

“Once you’ve moved and you’re not in the place everyone assumes you are never going to move on from, you almost become a tradable asset. I never grew up wanting to play for Real Madrid but it’s an honour I did. I grew up wanting to play for Liverpool.

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“Once you move, you lose that absolute attachment to your club and you become a trading proposition. You lose the glue you once had, going from contract to contract because you aren’t playing for the team you support.

“You’re just a player trying to do well for a specific club. It means more than that when you’ve come through the ranks.”