'What I'm hearing about Trent Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool will leave a bad taste in my mouth'

UFC star and Liverpool fan Paddy Pimblett has urged Trent Alexander-Arnold not to move to Real Madrid, insisting he can become a legend like Steven Gerrard if he stays at Anfield.

Alexander-Arnold’s future with the Reds remains in serious doubt as the clock ticks down on his contract. The Liverpool vice-captain’s current deal runs out at the end of the season, and fears are growing that he could leave his boyhood club.

Real Madrid has made the 26-year-old its priority target, and it won’t be long before it can secure his signature. Alexander-Arnold will be free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in January unless he puts pen to paper on a new contract before the end of the year.

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The right-back has insisted his future won’t be played out in public, although Liverpool fans are becoming more and more concerned that a move to the Bernabeu could be in the offing. His friendship with Jude Bellingham certainly hasn’t done anything to dispel any fears among supporters.

And while he feels the outlook is more promising for Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, Paddy ‘The Baddy’ is fearing the worst for Alexander-Arnold. Asked by OLBG whether the right-back will stay at Liverpool, Pimblett responded: “I hope so but I'm hearing lots of things through the grapevine that he's going.

“I think Virgil and Salah are going to stay, but I don't know what's happening with Trent, I hope he stays because he's going to be Liverpool captain one day, if he stays he's going to be a Liverpool legend, he's going to be remembered forever and he'll win more. But I think he'll leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth if he leaves on a free.

“Steve McManaman [left on a free transfer] – I've met him before, he's a nice fella – but he doesn't get looked at in the nicest way in the city, you know what I mean? Neither does Michael Owen.

“And if they wouldn't have left, they would have been club legends. Trent can be a club legend if he wants to, he can be remembered like Gerrard, but it's up to him whether he wants to do that.“

Liverpool.com says: You can’t help but fear the worst about Alexander-Arnold if you’re a Liverpool fan at the moment. While Van Dijk has confirmed talks are underway for a new deal for him, and there are suggestions that Salah wants to stay at Anfield, you’d have to say the silence is deafening when it comes to Trent.

All Liverpool and FSG can do at this point is make a big offer to him and hope he signs. It won’t be a good look at all though if ends up moving to Madrid for nothing.