Liverpool legend concerned Trent Alexander-Arnold will join Real Madrid | OneFootball

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is concerned that Trent Alexander-Arnold's ambition to win the Ballon d'Or will see him leave the club to join Real Madrid.

The 26-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, alongside teammates Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, and there's been no indication that the full-back is close to signing fresh terms.

Instead, Alexander-Arnold has been heavily linked with a move to 15-time Champions League winners Real Madrid, who were surprisingly battered 4-0 by rivals Barcelona at home this past weekend in the first Clasico of the season.

PSG have also been credited with interest in Alexander-Arnold, who revealed prior to Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal that he wants to be the first full-back to ever win the highly coveted Ballon d'Or.

Alexander-Arnold admitted he wants to create a legacy and be remembered as the "greatest right-back to ever play football" - something Carragher feels he will only achieve if he ends up leaving Liverpool for Madrid.

"My first thought when I saw that is you're not going to win the Ballon d'Or as a right-back for Liverpool," Carragher told Sky Sports. "Ballon d'Or winners normally play for Real Madrid or Barcelona. That's where the best players in the world go.

Alexander-Arnold's name is dominating transfer headlines / ADRIAN DENNIS/GettyImages

"If that is his ultimate ambition - I think he was asked about winning the Champions League, the World Cup or the Ballon d'Or and he went for the Ballon d'Or - which I think is a bit strange or bizarre because it is a team game, but he has got massive ambitions and why not? You've only got one career, he 's a unique full back and he's absolutely amazing.

"But the first thing that came to me when I read that interview is that makes me think he is going to Real Madrid.

He continued: "I actually think Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah will stay. I do believe that, but the longer it goes on with Trent, the more I feel he is going to leave.

"It is the biggest club in the world. Going back to him being a local lad, there will be a frustration for Liverpool supporters the longer that this carries on and he doesn't sign a contract. "

Alexander-Arnold has made over 330 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions since breaking into the first team during the 2016/17 season. He quickly became a regular starter for Jurgen Klopp, playing a key role in the club's run to back-to-back Champions League finals between 2017 and 2019.

Jurgen Klopp made Trent Alexander-Arnold his vice captain at Liverpool / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages

The second of those finals resulted in a first major European trophy for Alexander-Arnold, and Premier League glory followed a season later when Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for a top flight title.

Alongside Andrew Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, who is Liverpool's vice-captain, has been recognised as one of the most consistent and top performing full-backs in the Premier League, though questions have often been asked about his defensive capabilities.

During Euro 2024, England experimented with playing Alexander-Arnold in midfield - a role he also occupied for Klopp towards the end of his Liverpool tenure - but Arne Slot has opted to play him as a more conventional full-back in what has been an impressive start to the 2024/25 season.