Liverpool told 'there's a reason why' Trent Alexander-Arnold is running his contract down
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton has said 'there is a reason why' Trent Alexander-Arnold is yet to sign a contract renewal at Liverpool, hinting that he believes the defender is interested in a move to Real Madrid.
Alexander-Arnold is set to become a free agent at the end of the season as things stand, and could move to the Bernabeu on a free transfer.
The right-back is one of three important Liverpool players who are into the final year of their contracts, with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk also set to become free agents on June 30 next year.
However, for many, Alexander-Arnold's case is different to the other two as he is a boyhood Liverpool fan and has been tied to the club for the best part of two decades.
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At 26, Alexander-Arnold is also significantly younger than Salah, 32, and Van Dijk, 33, and it is reasonable to think his best days could yet be ahead of him.
However, the longer the situation rumbles on, the more concerned Liverpool's supporters will grow at the prospect of Alexander-Arnold's Reds career ending this summer.
And Sutton thinks that could well be the case, as he told the BBC: "There's a reason why he's running his contract down and he has to defend himself and say his contract previous to this have been done in private and that's the way I've handled things in the past.
"But, it's unusual for a club of Liverpool's size for what he's done there, for him to be in the last year of his contract. It's different for Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk because they're in their 30s. For Trent Alexander-Arnold, this shouldn't be happening and how many clubs out there are bigger than Real Madrid?"
Former Everton winger Andros Townsend, who was appearing alongside Sutton on the Monday Night Club, said: "I don't think he necessarily wants to leave Liverpool or he's searching to leave Liverpool, but Real Madrid is Real Madrid. If there's interest from Real Madrid, I don't think as a player you can turn that down. He can't really say no to Real Madrid."