Trent Alexander-Arnold told he has NO FUTURE at Real Madrid – but what’s the truth?

Robin Bairner

24 Jan 2026 11:39 GMT
4 min read

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid, 2025/26 — © IMAGO

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been told by Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa that he has no future at the club, according to a stunning report from Spain, but what’s the truth behind the story?

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Alexander-Arnold moved to Los Blancos from Liverpool at the beginning of June for €10 million in a deal struck so he could be available for the FIFA Club World Cup group stage.

But the England international has not made the impact in Spain that he would have wished, playing 11 games and contributing just one assist, leading to the suggestion that he could be destined for a quick exit.

Current ETV

Trent Alexander-Arnold

D (R)

Real Madrid

Trent Alexander-Arnold

D (R)

Real Madrid

ETV Range

€60.8M - €74.3M

Trent to leave Real Madrid: There’s no debate

El Nacional has reported that Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa has been forthright with Alexander-Arnold.

“The English full-back has failed to settle in, his performances have been disappointing, and constant injuries have ended his time at the Bernabeu. The situation has reached a breaking point and Alvaro Arbeloa has intervened directly to make it clear that he is not part of the team's plans,” it claims.

Alexander-Arnold’s time with Real Madrid has been an “ordeal”, it goes on to state, indicating that there is “no longer any debate” and that “prolonging the situation would only harm the player and the team”.

Trent will be sold in the summer, it concludes.

© IMAGO - Trent Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid

’No truth to the claims’

Alexander-Arnold’s status, though, is defended in England, where the Daily Mail states there is “no truth to the claims”.

Certainly, it would be surprising if Madrid were to have taken such a definitive line on the player already.

Two hamstring injuries have worked to disrupt his integration into the team, but with Dani Caravajal 34 and Federico Valverde very publicly not wanting to play the role, Los Blancos are lacking options in that area.

The source of the initial report also deserves some scrutiny. It is, after all, a Barcelona-based publication that tends to bias its coverage towards the Blaugrana.

While things might not be going perfectly for Trent at the moment, the situation at Real Madrid is unlikely to be quite as critical as has been portrayed.

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