What next for Trent Alexander-Arnold?

It’s the question that has been asked all season – and now the Liverpool right-back is officially allowed to talk to clubs from abroad, the noise will only get louder.

The 26-year-old is, as most football fans will surely know by now, out of contract this summer and is being heavily linked with a free-transfer move to Real Madrid when his deal expires.

The silence around his future from both clubs and the player himself remains deafening, despite countless newspaper headlines, but there is undoubtedly a lot going on in the background.

Former England striker Gary Lineker, who moved to Barcelona from Everton in 1986, told the Rest is Football podcast, external he could understand it if Alexander-Arnold opted to move to the Bernabeu.

He said: “Trent would love it there. They will worship him, they will appreciate his incredible passing range.”

But what is the situation at the moment, what do the fans think and how much would Liverpool miss him?

Like Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold is into the final six months of his contract at Liverpool.

But while Salah and Van Dijk have provided snippets of information about contract talks, Alexander-Arnold has been tight-lipped.

In September, he said negotiations over a new deal would not be played out in public but since then has been linked with moves elsewhere.

Sources recently said there had been an approach – but no offer – from Real Madrid about signing Alexander-Arnold in January, which Liverpool rebuffed.

Spanish media also reported Real were willing to buy the England international this month but are more likely to sign him on a pre-contract agreement for the summer.

Alexander-Arnold has given years of service to Liverpool, helping them win the Premier League and Champions League.

However, with the full-back in the prime of his career, it would be easy to understand if he wanted to pursue a fresh challenge and a move to Real Madrid would make sense.

“He is really close with Jude Bellingham, as we saw in the summer,” added Lineker.

“He is a wonderful footballer, he would fit in beautifully and would be a massive success. They wouldn’t focus on his defending – which we overly do here.

“I did the move myself to Spain and playing for Real or Barca is truly special. However strong and rich the Premier League is, the world’s greats still go to Barca and Real Madrid.”

Former England and Newcastle striker Alan Shearer said: “He has won everything at Liverpool.

“Put yourself in Trent’s position, after achieving everything at Liverpool then being asked to play for Real Madrid and make an absolute fortune… You can’t knock him for that at all.

“I hope there won’t be any hard feelings because he has been a great player for them.”

Alexander-Arnold has been at Liverpool since he was six so any decision to leave Anfield would be a significant one for both him and the Reds.

He made his breakthrough in the 2016-17 campaign and has been a mainstay of the first team ever since, regularly playing more than 40 games a season.

Only Mohamed Salah (1,586) and Ryan Gravenberch (1,560) have played more minutes than Alexander-Arnold (1,317) this season, underlining how important he is to Slot.

The Reds would not only miss his reliability in defence but also his contribution to their attack.

No Liverpool player has created more chances than Alexander-Arnold’s 36 – level with Salah. That includes four assists – second only to Salah, who has a stunning 13.

BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty:

Alexander-Arnold is a world-class player, a creator and defender in equal measure, so it would be folly to suggest he would not be missed by Liverpool.

If he wants a fresh challenge, it is clear Real Madrid would welcome him. It is now up to Alexander-Arnold to decide if he wants to take that challenge.

The good news for Liverpool is they might just have the perfect replacement for Alexander-Arnold in their own ranks – the outstanding Northern Ireland 21-year-old Conor Bradley has all the makings of an outstanding long-term Anfield star.

Ironically, it was against Real Madrid – with Alexander-Arnold watching from the bench – that Bradley delivered a magnificent display hinting at his quality in Liverpool’s 2-0 Champions League win over Carlo Ancelotti’s side at Anfield in November.

Bradley brought Anfield to its feet, literally, with a shuddering first-half challenge on Kylian Mbappe as he closed in at The Kop end. It left Mbappe in an undignified heap. It was fearless, perfectly legal, perfectly timed and demonstrated huge belief and confidence.

If Alexander-Arnold does go, he will leave a huge hole, but Bradley has shown he has all the ability to soften such a heavy blow.

Sean: Trent is a big lad. He will make his own choice. I’d love him to stay. The sadness hovering over it all is that we fans fear he’ll end up like Michael Owen, trading legendary status for a trip to Spain. I hope when Alexander-Arnold returns to Anfield he gets a better reception than Owen did (largely ignored). Madrid is a top club and wonderful city. But it ain’t Liverpool!

Russ: Trent has been at the club for 20 years and has won absolutely everything so you can understand if he wants a change of scene. What he needs to understand is he will never be adored by the Madrid fans like he is at Anfield. He will never get to captain the club he supposedly loves and he will never win the Ballon d’Or regardless of which club he plays for. He will be always be welcomed back to Anfield but not with open arms – he has tarnished his legacy like Owen and McManaman.

Fraser: Whereas Salah and Virgil have made it clear they want to stay (and I’m fairly confident both will extend), Trent has been quiet the whole time which makes me fear the worst. The thing that infuriates me most is he is trying to leave on a free and Liverpool get nothing in return. This is very disappointing from Trent and pretty selfish from him as well, I just hope this doesn’t sabotage or derail our campaign. Good thing Conor Bradley is near to returning.

Tommy: Out of the three players, he is the one we can afford to lose. He’s a luxury player who too often doesn’t live up to the massive hype on him. We have a ready-made replacement, so he can go. It is getting boring now. He, like Owen, will be warming the bench at Madrid.

Enton: First and foremost, as a lifelong Liverpool fan, losing Trent would be a massive blow… That’s a no-brainer. However, I think he’s made his mind up and who can blame him? When Real Madrid comes knocking, you answer the door! Having built his friendship with Jude Bellingham via England duty, the process of settling in will be a lot easier as well. It’s up to Liverpool now to try to get the best deal possible (if it’s not too late).