Will Real Madrid sign a right-back? Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold top of wishlist

At Real Madrid, the serious knee injury suffered by Dani Carvajal has thrown into sharp relief the need to bolster the club’s long-term options at right-back.

With Carvajal out for the season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, Lucas Vázquez is now the only dedicated right-back in Madrid’s squad - but Los Blancos are not planning to sign anybody right away on a free transfer, or in the January transfer window. However, there is a growing likelihood that Madrid will try to bring in a young, big-name right-back next summer.

And the man at the top of the Spanish and European champions’ transfer wishlist is Liverpool and England’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.

TAA the ideal right-back target for Real Madrid

For Madrid, Alexander-Arnold ticks every box. He’s still only 26; he’s a proven performer at the elite level, having been in Liverpool’s team for eight years and won a Premier League and Champions League title; and, most importantly, he’s coming to the end of his contract. A free agent at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, the Liverpool youth product has stalled on signing a new Anfield deal as he looks to keep his options open. Against this backdrop, Madrid are keeping very close tabs on Alexander-Arnold’s situation.

Madrid’s right-back options are aging

At the Bernabéu, monitoring soon to be out-of-contract stars has become a key element of the club’s transfer strategy, particularly in priority positions. Another area Madrid have focused on, for example, is left-back, where the LaLiga giants are working to sign Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies on a free at the end of the season.

And given Carvajal and Vázquez’s age - the long-serving duo are 32 and 33, respectively - Madrid have been considering their options at right-back for a while now. Although there are also in-house options in Madrid’s youth set-up, the club’s most promising prospect at right-back, Jesús Fortea, is just 17 years old. He still has some way to go in his development, and the rate and trajectory of his progress remain unpredictable.

Good friend Bellingham already at Real Madrid

Were Alexander-Arnold to join Madrid, his adaptation to life in the Spanish capital would be eased by the presence of his good friend and international team-mate, Jude Bellingham. The pair have forged a close relationship since they were both part of England’s squad for the 2022 World Cup. This summer, indeed, they went on holiday together to Los Angeles. While British players are notoriously bad at settling in at overseas clubs, that wasn’t a problem for Bellingham - who had already spent two years in Germany when he joined Madrid in 2023 - and it is felt that Alexander-Arnold would also slot in smoothly in Spain.

Full screen

Hakimi prospects fade amid PSG contract talks

Alongside Alexander-Arnold, another option Madrid have been exploring is Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi, a player who came through the Spanish club’s youth academy. However, Hakimi looks to be a less and less likely alternative. Madrid have been eyeing a potential free transfer in summer 2026, when the Moroccan international’s current contract runs out in Paris, but the 25-year-old now appears to be closer to agreeing an extension to his deal.