Trent Alexander-Arnold’s sensational move from Liverpool to Real Madrid last summer continues to cause controversy, with the England international now appearing to admit he had made up his mind long before leaving.
The right-back’s contract turmoil dominated the headlines throughout last season, with reports claiming he turned down multiple offers from Liverpool in search of better terms.
However, speculation linking him to Real Madrid never went away, with many suggesting that Trent Alexander-Arnold was deliberately cutting his contract short to secure a free transfer to the Spanish giants.
While senior team-mates Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk regularly meet with the media to discuss their contract situations, Trent’s absence from interviews has become noticeable.
This silence, combined with his eventual departure, frustrated Liverpool fans. Liverpool fans decried the boyhood star leaving the club in a way that would cause serious financial damage, given that he was perhaps their most valuable asset.
Trent’s Real Madrid announcement raises eyebrows among Liverpool fans
Cracks in Trent’s story began to appear soon after he moved. When announcing his move to Real Madrid in June 2025, he made the mistake of saying he had been “waiting a long time” for a move, fueling claims that he had been planning the move for months.
He quickly corrected himself, claiming he had only been waiting a few weeks since the deal was finalized.
Adding fuel, Trent spoke fluent Spanish during his presentation, suggesting he had been preparing for life in Madrid for quite some time.
Jude Bellingham’s influence behind Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Real Madrid decision
Now, ahead of the long-awaited Champions League match between Liverpool and Real Madrid, Trent has once again hinted that the decision to leave Anfield was taken early and that Jude Bellingham played a big role in convincing him.
Speaking to Amazon Prime (via Liverpool.com), he said:
“There was a lot of speculation… about ‘Agent Jude’, especially in his first season[at Real Madrid]… We had met in the England camp and everyone wanted to know what it was like behind the scenes[at Real Madrid]… He said it was incredible and he had never seen anything like it.”
“The desire to win and the expectation to win from the whole club. He thought very highly of the club. And at the end of the day I made a decision. I needed a change. I wanted a new challenge on and off the pitch.”
This admission is unlikely to go down well with Liverpool supporters. They will now feel vindicated, believing that the transfer scandal was orchestrated long before it became public, and that the saga around the rejected contract was simply a way to shift blame onto the club.
