Top News

There is “only” one transfer that Trent Alexander-Arnold would think about if he ever wanted to return to the Premier League, former Liverpool full-back Stephen Warnock has told GOAL, with talk also surfacing of the Real Madrid defender potentially taking up a new challenge in Serie A. The attack-minded England international is now in his second season at the Santiago Bernabeu after leaving Anfield in 2025.

Alexander-Arnold won everything with Liverpool

Cutting ties with his boyhood club was not easy for the home-grown Liverpudlian, but he was looking for a fresh start far away from the professional comfort zone he had always known after accomplishing almost everything possible on home soil.

Alexander-Arnold collected two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and Community Shield during his time at Liverpool. He was also named PFA Young Player of the Year in 2020 and represented England at major international tournaments.

He chose to move to Spain and link up with fellow Three Lions star Jude Bellingham as he neared the end of his contract. He never actually became a free agent, as Real agreed to pay a small fee in order to push the deal through quickly, and the 2025-26 campaign brought plenty of challenges.

There have already been some questions over how long Alexander-Arnold will remain with the Blancos, as he is now facing competition from Denzel Dumfries and is working under former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho.

Could Alexander-Arnold return to the Premier League?

At 27, he still has plenty of years left to perform at the very highest level. The question is whether much of that time will be spent proving himself to a demanding support in the Spanish capital, or whether he could eventually retrace his steps and return to his homeland.

Asked whether both of those possibilities could still happen, fellow Merseyside-born former defender Warnock - speaking on behalf of Gambler Media - told GOAL: “Yeah, quite possibly. I think the thing with Trent is that he doesn't have to necessarily rely on pace in his game. He's got that ability on the ball just to pick passes.

“Whether you'd see him actually move into a centre-midfield position later on in his career, to be able to play that. I think when you listen to him and when you see him at the moment, he seems very happy.

“I think he realises that at Real Madrid he is going to have to fight for his place, and that's going to be difficult. But he'll trust his ability. He's had doubters all his career, which is incredible because of the level that he plays to.”

Warnock added when discussing possible future transfers: “I think the only time I could see him coming back is if Liverpool came back in for him. I don't really see him playing for anyone else.

“But I feel like Trent's one of those people that would probably go somewhere else, maybe in Italy or something like that. I think he's that type of personality where he'd like to test himself in life and move to different places.”

Why an Anfield return may be difficult

Another former Reds player, Danny Murphy, told GOAL in the summer when asked about the possibility of Alexander-Arnold making a return in one of the coming transfer windows: “I would be gobsmacked to see him back at Anfield for a couple of reasons. One is the fans. I'm not sure they'd be too happy with that considering the situation he left in. Furthermore, the money he's earning, I'm not sure who's going to be paying him that in the Premier League at the moment. Although he's a wonderful player, he's earning phenomenal money in Madrid - obviously going on a free.

“I think he'll be there a little while. I think he'll give it another season, see how it goes and then see where he stands. I don't see him back yet. Maybe at some point, of course, because he's not old. The Premier League does possess the riches to maybe get him, but I don't think at the moment we'll be seeing that now.”

Alexander-Arnold under contract in Madrid until 2031

Alexander-Arnold still has just under five years remaining on his contract in Madrid, with that deal running until 2031. He has given no sign that he is planning another move any time soon.

It would not be a surprise to see him back in the Premier League at some stage, considering everything he achieved in that competition, but modern players are increasingly willing to explore life in different countries and that outlook could yet take him even farther from home before any route back is considered.