Alexander-Arnold must listen to Klopp warning after Liverpool exit claim

Trent Alexander-Arnold must listen to Jurgen Klopp warning after fresh Liverpool exit claim

Latest Liverpool transfer news and gossip with an update on Trent Alexander-Arnold's future who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid

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Liverpool may be forced to plan for a world without one of their most talented players for a generation in their ranks next season. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been a star player for the Reds ever since he broke into the first-team in the 2016/17 season, and has been a regular at right-back since the following campaign.

Since being handed his debut by Jurgen Klopp, Alexander-Arnold has won almost every major trophy he could hope to win in a Liverpool shirt. And in the summer of 2023, he was named vice-captain of his boyhood club as he moved a step closer to following in Steven Gerrard's footsteps.

Now, though, it seems that Alexander-Arnold may be swapping Merseyside for Madrid in a few months' time. A report in talkSPORT has claimed that the 26-year-old has agreed to join Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer when his contract with Liverpool is set to expire.

Speculation has been swirling for months about whether or not Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold will come to an agreement over a new contract. The latest report suggests, though, that may not be happening.

It would not be the first time that Liverpool have seen one of their star players leave Anfield to move to Spain. Michael Owen, Steve McManaman, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa all left the Reds to sign for Madrid, while Javier Mascherano, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho all joined Barcelona, with the latter completing a £142million move back in January 2018.

In Coutinho's case, there were rumours that the Camp Nou club wanted to sign the Brazilian months before he moved to Spain. Liverpool rejected three bids in the summer of 2017, and it was in May of that year that Coutinho opened up on the advice that Klopp had given him over the prospect of leaving Anfield.

"Stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honour," Klopp famously advised Coutinho back in 2017.

"Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more."

Despite the warning from Klopp, Coutinho chose to leave Liverpool and sign for Barcelona. A total of 106 appearances and loan spells at Bayern Munich, Aston Villa and Al-Duhail later, Coutinho is now back in Brazil with Vasco de Gama.

After Coutinho's exit, the Reds enjoyed their most successful spell of the Klopp era and went on to reach three Champions League finals, winning one of them and being crowned Premier League champions. Alexander-Arnold has been a key part of that success but could be set to embark on a new challenge if some of the latest reports are to be believed.

Whether Arne Slot, or Klopp for that matter, will have said a similar message to Alexander-Arnold over the last 12 months about the idea of leaving Anfield only they will know. It seems, though, that if any sort of message has been given to the right-back, the possibility of playing for Madrid may be more enticing.

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