John Barnes has warned Trent Alexander-Arnold that he is more likely to win the Ballon d’or at Liverpool than Real Madrid amid the uncertainty that still surrounds his future.

The Liverpool right-back has openly admitted that he wants to be the first full-back to win the biggest individual accolade in football, and given Real’s status and list of previous Ballon d’Or winners, there have been suggestions that an increased chance of winning the prize is motivation behind a possible move to the Spanish capital this summer.

With his contract set to expire at the end of the season and no news of fresh terms being agreed, Alexander-Arnold lining up for Los Blancos next term looks like a very real possibility. But Barnes has warned against that and said the England international could be outshone at Real.

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“He has a better chance of winning an individual accolade at Liverpool than Real Madrid,” the ex-Liverpool winger said at a LiveScore fan event in Liverpool earlier this week.

“If he goes to Real Madrid he is not going to take over from [Kylian] Mbappe, Vinicius Junior or Jude Bellingham in terms of winning the Ballon d’Or or being the superstar. Liverpool have hard-working players. Liverpool is the right club for him.

“We’ve seen players leave Liverpool and not do much: [Sadio] Mane and [Roberto] Firmino. If Trent goes to Real Madrid he won’t have the same impact as he does at Liverpool.”

Real saw an offer to purchase Alexander-Arnold in January knocked back by Liverpool, who does not want to lose a key player in the midst of a Premier League title charge. Therefore, if the right-back is to leave, he’ll sign for free this summer.

In the meantime, Barnes doesn’t think the uncertainty will impact Alexander-Arnold’s performances. “Liverpool are playing so consistently well that, even if word gets out about Real Madrid, he will still give 100 percent,” he said.

“I don’t think that's a worry, although I don’t think he will sign a pre-contract. I think it would be done at the end of the season and even if Madrid know he’s coming, what’s the point of signing a pre-contract if it would just cause upset?

“What will happen is that Real Madrid will know he’s going to come, he will know he’s going to go but won’t say anything. I don’t think it’ll affect him day-to-day at Liverpool.”

While losing a player of Alexander-Arnold’s stature would be a concern, Barnes is confident Liverpool has an able replacement already at the club.

“What Trent does, he has great delivery and has everything in front of him. You don’t normally play against wingers in possession because they normally drop back, so you have time to do that.

“What happens a lot with Trent, when the opposition attack, Trent is getting back into position and is already thinking about getting the ball and he’s away. A defender should think ‘we’re not going to get the ball and I need to defend’.

“What fans see is Trent running forward but what they don’t see is if the ball doesn’t come, someone could score on the far post. So, that’s why I think for Conor Bradley, a classic right-back, I think he would be an excellent replacement for Trent.”