The transfer rumor tying Trent Alexander-Arnold to an Anfield reunion has been shut down at the source. Fabrizio Romano addressed the speculation on his YouTube channel, and his verdict was blunt.
“Liverpool never started any kind of concrete or serious conversation to bring Trent Alexander-Arnold back to the club,” the transfer specialist told viewers, as reported by CaughtOffside.
Romano went on to rule out a mid-season move from the player’s side as well, saying that neither Alexander-Arnold nor Real Madrid are planning anything for the January window, and that both intend to stay together until at least the end of the season.
Three right-backs, two shirts
If the Liverpool angle looks closed, the Real Madrid question is anything but. The 28-year-old has opened the season as the third option at right-back under Mourinho, behind Netherlands international Denzel Dumfries and the midfielder-turned-makeshift full-back Federico Valverde.
Read also: Mourinho on Güler: ‘This kid is special’
The Portuguese manager has been uncharacteristically candid about how that hierarchy sits with him, according to GiveMeSport.
“When you build a squad with two players per position and you end up playing a third player, that makes me sad,” Mourinho said.
Mourinho added that tactical priorities ultimately outweigh personal feelings, and that both Alexander-Arnold and Dumfries had taken the news well when he explained the thinking behind it.
345 minutes across seven matches
The numbers do the rest of the talking. Alexander-Arnold has featured in just seven matches across all competitions this season, totaling 345 minutes, per GiveMeSport. He has been an unused substitute in five of Real Madrid’s 11 games.
Read also: Spanish footballer dies after collapsing on pitch during league match
He joined Real Madrid from Liverpool in the summer of 2025 on a six-year deal, after running down his Anfield contract to force the move. Dumfries’ arrival reshuffled the pecking order, and Valverde’s willingness to deputize from midfield has squeezed the Englishman further.
A recent Madrid win saw Mourinho hand him minutes and praise his touch and distribution, TeamTalk reported. The pattern of the season, though, is that when the biggest fixtures come around, it is Valverde who tucks in at right-back.
Contract to 2031
Romano’s reporting places the mood at Madrid and in Alexander-Arnold’s camp in the same spot: see out the season together, no exit plans drawn up for January. The six-year deal Alexander-Arnold signed in the summer of 2025 runs until 2031.
Read also: Not even Boris Becker managed this: Alexander Zverev makes tennis history
