Liverpool and Real Madrid Trent Alexander-Arnold 'transfer meeting held' as January plan 'hatched'

Liverpool and Real Madrid officials reportedly met ahead of the Champions League match between the two teams to discuss Trent Alexander-Arnold. People representing both clubs are said to have scheduled a lunch meeting at 1.30pm on Wednesday, six-and-a-half hours before their players meet at Anfield.

According to Reds head coach Arne Slot, Alexander-Arnold will not start the match. However, the right-back is in the squad and could make a late cameo as a substitute.

That would only be out of necessity after recently recovering from a minor hamstring strain sustained during the Premier League win over Aston Villa. But his absence from the starting line-up has not decreased the appetite for speculation about the player's future ahead of this fixture.

READ MORE: New Mohamed Salah transfer stance emerges after Liverpool contract bombshell

READ MORE: 'I regret to say' - FSG sent clear Mohamed Salah contract message as Liverpool theory emerges

While Mohamed Salah's comments about the club's lack of a contract offer—and Jamie Carragher's opinion on him making them at this juncture—have dominated discussion nationally since Sunday evening, Alexander-Arnold has been where those in the Spanish capital have been focusing their attention ahead of the match.

The Madrid-based tabloid Marca claims that the clubs' concentration before the game will also turn to the Liverpool vice-captain. They claim the two clubs want to clarify the situation surrounding the player, address any doubts about his future, and establish what is true after months of speculation in the media.

The publication also reports that the Reds called Madrid after the Champions League league phase draw earlier in the season to ask future opponents whether they wanted Alexander-Arnold amid recent rumours. In response, Madrid reportedly arranged for them to talk face-to-face before their players met on the pitch.

They will reportedly intend to ascertain whether the Reds will sell the player during the upcoming January transfer window rather than face the prospect of Alexander-Arnold leaving Anfield on a free transfer at the end of this season. The England international can negotiate and sign a pre-contract agreement after the turn of the year.