Chelsea’s move for Trent Alexander-Arnold is coming from the dugout. Xabi Alonso coached him at Real Madrid in the 2025-26 season before being sacked in January 2026 and taking charge at Stamford Bridge, and he is now driving an attempt to bring the England international with him. According to Football365, the Chelsea manager is “keen on forging a reunion” at the Bridge.

That is the surprising twist. The expected route back to the Premier League ran through Anfield, where Alexander-Arnold spent his entire career before moving to Spain in the summer of 2025 for a fee of around €10m paid to Liverpool a month before his contract was due to run out.

Fifteen months on, the Madrid experiment has stalled. Alexander-Arnold has slipped out of the first-choice side under Jose Mourinho, who took over at the Bernabéu in the summer, with the manager at times picking midfielder Federico Valverde at right-back instead. Real Madrid are not actively pushing him out but are open to a sale if a serious offer arrives.

Reece James surgery has forced the issue

Chelsea have a sudden need. Captain Reece James underwent successful knee surgery in mid-October after a training injury and is set to miss around three months. With Malo Gusto reportedly available at the right price and Marco Palestra untested as a starter, the right side is thin.

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Transfer journalist Simon Phillips, writing for CaughtOffside, says Chelsea are actively looking at the position and view Alexander-Arnold as a target if Madrid relent. He also notes that in Alonso’s 3-4-3, where Pedro Neto often operates as a wing-back, Alexander-Arnold could feature in a more advanced midfield role.

Liverpool pushed down the queue

The assumption that Alexander-Arnold’s return to England would run through Merseyside has taken a knock. Arsenal and Manchester City have also been linked, but Football365 reports that Chelsea are now the likeliest destination. Liverpool, with Jeremie Frimpong injured and Ronald Araujo on loan, could instead pivot to Gusto himself if the Alexander-Arnold deal goes through.

The January transfer window opens in just over two months. Alexander-Arnold’s contract in Madrid runs until June 2031.

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