Trent Alexander-Arnold has dominated the headlines over the last week, largely due to the ongoing stream of reports coming from Spain suggesting he already has one foot in the Bernabeu.

This was always going to be the case as the 26-year-old's contract with Liverpool ticked over into its final six months. Now in a position to negotiate and sign a pre-contract agreement with a club outside of England, the noise has never been louder.

Alexander-Arnold isn't alone, of course, as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are in the same boat. The difference, however, is the others are at a different stage of their career and aren't the subject of a fierce transfer approach from a European rival.

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It is important to note that nothing is decided and only the player and his camp truly know what he wants to do. No matter how strong Real Madrid are in their belief he will join them in the summer, it should only be taken with a pinch of salt until the player himself or Liverpool say otherwise.

However, while his future is still up in the air, there will be discussions and debates about various factors that may contribute to his eventual decision. The pull of Madrid, his friendship with Jude Bellingham and the finances of any potential deal, among others.

One thing Liverpool fans will feel strongly about is his legacy and what that will look like if he stays, but also what that will look life if he does depart for La Liga in a matter of months. Here, our writers have shared their views on Alexander-Arnold's legacy at Liverpool and how his decision will shape it moving forward.

Hannah Pinnock

This will be one that divides opinion and that in itself gives you the answer to this debate. Steven Gerrard, for example, is held in the highest regard by fans and he has a legacy that cannot be disputed, regardless of his achievements.

That is because, despite natural temptation, he stuck by the club through the good, the bad and the ugly. He had all the options on the table and no matter how many times rival managers tried to prise him from Liverpool's grasp, Gerrard stayed. He could not bring himself to turn his back on his club and his people.

Alexander-Arnold is arguably in an even better position than his predecessor because Liverpool regularly challenge for major honours and silverware has become the norm over the last seven years. Naturally, if the right back is to leave the club at 26 and spend the rest of his peak years abroad, he will not fulfil his potential as a Liverpool player.

That, combined with the sense of betrayal a significant portion of fans will feel if he was to move, means his legacy will never be maximised. He will always be respected for his achievements in a Liverpool shirt and nobody can ever take away the trophies he has won. That goes without saying.

But, Alexander-Arnold will also not be immortalised in the same way Gerrard is and I think that is fair to say. His legacy will always be just this. A topic of debate and one fans will disagree on. Some will prioritise the success he enjoyed, others will struggle to look past the decision to leave for a direct rival on a free transfer when Liverpool are at the beginning of an exciting new era.

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James Quinlan

It depends what legacy Trent Alexander-Arnold wants. On the one hand, he could inherit the captaincy of Liverpool from Virgil van Dijk as early as this summer, though I'm hoping at maybe two to three years' time after both sign new deals.

Under Arne Slot he helps Liverpool capitalise on the current downfall of Manchester City and establish themselves ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea as the new dominant force in English and European football. In doing so, he would be thrust into the realm of club legends like Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard, Phil Thompson, and multiple league wins would allow him to stake his claim as greatest captain of them all.

And then, unfortunately, there is the legacy he has hinted towards. Wanting to win a Ballon d'Or, which as a right-back is virtually never going to happen, let's be truthful. Real Madrid would offer him a marginally greater chance of that perhaps. He might be more likely to win La Liga or a Champions League here and there as Madrid seem so able to do against the odds, but it won't mean more than him doing that in a Liverpool shirt, wearing their armband.

There is not even a guarantee Madrid can offer him these trophies either. Carlo Ancelotti surely has to move on within the next two years, Xabi Alonso is supposedly a nailed-on replacement but there is nothing to say he will be an immediate success. Alexander-Arnold may be verging on 30 by the point a new boss gets up and running. On top of that, Madrid have an ageing injured squad that needs an extensive rebuild. The Reds are readily equipped to win trophies for years to come and I am confident they will start that off this season.

Alexander-Arnold already has a legacy as a club hero, which if he does leave for free heading into his so-called prime years as a footballer is certainly good for nothing. I just wish he would realise this and help put to bed any exit talk because it has reached a ridiculous stage now.

You are on the verge of club legend status at your boyhood club - do not throw that away.

Tom Coley

Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool 'legacy' - which, lets be honest, is a bit of a phony buzzword anyway - should always be what he has done on the field for Liverpool, and that cannot be changed. Across eight years as a senior player, reaching an early status as one of the world's best players, let alone right-backs - a category he has dominated for years without much competition - he has done it all.

If all goes well, he will have won two Premier League titles as a key player for Liverpool. The only players to match his importance to the 2020/21 campaign and this one are Allison, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah. That is elite company.

Alexander-Arnold could leave Liverpool with six major honours (if they only add the league title this year). He is the club's best-ever right-back. To try and diminish what he has done or to look negatively upon him is brainless and disrespectful.

This is a kid who has given everything to play football for his boyhood club, let alone become a great. And lets get this clear, he is a great, no matter what happens in the next six months.

Real Madrid will, whether people like it or not, remain a serious pull for high-profile players. After Liverpool let Alexander-Arnold's contract run down to even two years, this sort of thing is always on the cards. The club have to accept some responsibility in not prioritising Alexander-Arnold here. If he had been tied down earlier then there is little chance he pushes to leave. As it happens, an unexpected chance has emerged and he is rightfully considering it. Who wouldn't?

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At 26, he has already achieved unforgettable things for the team closest to him. That cannot and does not get overwritten. To claim that it is acceptable to then suggest booing him at a future date, treat him like a nobody, or act like he doesn't matter and isn't someone of significance, is not a good look and it's pretty grim. Liverpool have to be better than that. It is not the behaviour of a club as close-knit.

This is not a personal thing, but the opportunity to leave in such circumstances does not come around often, let alone at this stage of his career. There is a gaping spot at right-back at Madrid and they are forming a strong young team. Who wouldn't be drawn to that? It is no slight on Liverpool, but trying something new in the prime of his playing life is totally understandable.

Liverpool, as a community, will do well to remember that, and not to live irrationally emotionally. Alexander-Arnold leaving does not have to bring a binary reaction down on him. He deserves more.

Isaac Johnson

There's no doubt that if Alexander-Arnold leaves his legacy will not be as great than if he stays, that's unquestionable. That does not detract from what he has achieved at Anfield nor the appreciation from fans for his service.

But there would be a sense of annoyance. When Michael Owen and Steve McManaman left Liverpool, the club were in a strong position but not quite within the elite realms of the European best. Now, Liverpool very much are.

Gunning for the title and the Champions League, potentially on for a quadruple, the Reds are the club to be at right now. Of course, a lot can happen from now until May but the future looks promising under Arne Slot.

Real Madrid are Real Madrid, and the god-like status such Galacticos receive at the club is found nowhere else on the planet, aside from perhaps Barcelona. That is obviously appealing for Alexander-Arnold, especially when he has done everything else at Liverpool.

But greats who emerge from the academy are supposed to stay at the club, not leave. Liverpool ought to be the pinnacle for them, and especially so when the team is doing so well on the pitch.

So there will clearly be no blame towards Alexander-Arnold if he wishes to swap Merseyside for Madrid, but there will be some bitterness. That, by the way, is the best testament to his quality and worth he could ever receive.

Richard Garnett

Trent Alexander-Arnold can do whatever he wants. He is in the final six months of his Liverpool contract and with no deal agreed, the chances of him upping sticks for a new life in the sun grow ever nearer. It's understandable that fans would be irked by his perceived lack of loyalty, but it's a two-way street and if he was to dip in form or find Arne Slot preferring the younger and more defensively adept Conor Bradley, who knows what the future would look like.

My biggest issue with a possible Alexander-Arnold exit is not so much the loss of a hugely talented home-grown star but the fact that he could walk out of Anfield for nothing. That's an FSG issue more than anything else however. The No. 66 has won the lot with Liverpool and despite the Reds currently looking like THE team to beat in Europe, he might just fancy a new challenge. It will come at a cost however. Steve McManaman and Michael Owen were two of the very best players to pull on a red shirt during my teens and early adult life, but neither are held in the same regard as they would have been if they had stayed put instead of swanning off to Spain.

Alexander-Arnold will no doubt lap up the attention he would get in the Spanish capital but it will be at the expense of his popularity on Merseyside. Regardless of the scoreline in any given match, the right-back loves a clap off the fans whenever he takes a corner (something he regularly actively encourages himself). It will be interesting to see what sort of reception he gets on Sunday, let alone if he should actually agree to join Los Blancos.

His previously stated aspiration to become Liverpool captain is an admirable one, what a shame it will be if chooses not to follow through on it.