Gary Lineker urges Trent Alexander-Arnold to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid, telling the England star that he will ‘love it’ in Spain
- Trent Alexander-Arnold has been linked with Real Madrid as his contract is about to expire
- Former Barcelona striker Lineker says Alexander-Arnold would do well in La Liga
- LISTEN NOW: It all begins! New formation, some new faces, but the optimism is gone at Old Trafford
Gary Lineker has urged Trent Alexander-Arnold to move to Real Madrid and said the Liverpool full-back will love living in the Spanish capital.
Alexander-Arnold, 26, has been the subject of much discussion over the Christmas period, with his contract set to expire at the end of this season. He can legally talk to any of them and sign an agreement to join one of them starting New Year’s Day.
And Lineker joined the conversation on his The Rest Is Football podcast.
“It seems very logical to me,” said the outgoing Match of the Day presenter. ‘Free transfer is how Real Madrid have been doing things lately.
‘He is very close to Jude Bellingham and would fit in wonderfully there. He would be a huge success. They wouldn’t focus critically on his defense as we do here – overly so in my opinion. It’s a great fit and would be a big loss for Liverpool.
“But in Conor Bradley we have a youngster coming through who has done really well. I think there is a good chance that this will happen, even though I have no prior knowledge whatsoever.’
Alexander-Arnold is set to become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of the season
Gary Lineker, who played for Barcelona in the 1980s, says the 26-year-old will do well in Spain
Alexander-Arnold has been consistently linked with a move to Carlo Ancelotti’s side this season and is close to England teammate and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham
Mail Sport reported this weekend how Real Madrid are growing increasingly confident they can tempt Alexander-Arnold to join them, sources in Spain say. No agreement has been reached yet and everything depends on the full-back’s decision.
Alexander-Arnold is committed to Liverpool for the time being and is not distracted by the outside noise – and boss Arne Slot has also said he is calm about the situation.
Until a pre-contract agreement is signed – which is not a certainty – Liverpool will continue to work tirelessly to extend the deals of Alexander-Arnold, captain Virgil van Dijk and top scorer Mohamed Salah.
‘How do you say no to Real Madrid?’ Lineker added. ‘Liverpool is an incredible football club, but a new challenge, playing abroad, I did that myself (he moved from Everton to Barcelona in 1986). ‘Playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona is really special.’
‘No matter how strong and powerful and rich the Premier League is, the greats of the world still go to Barcelona and Real Madrid. The only exception lately has been Erling Haaland. Apart from that, that’s where they go.
‘He’ll love it there. It’ll be great. They will adore and appreciate his passing range. He is in the prime of his career. I wouldn’t begrudge him.’
Meanwhile, Liverpool are sweating over scan results after Joe Gomez injured his hamstring during Sunday’s 5-0 win over West Ham.
