Real Madrid News
Real Madrid key summer target sees Liverpool as a priority – Romano
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has become a key transfer target for Real Madrid heading into the summer of 2025.
The 25-year-old Englishman is in the final year of his contract with the Premier League bigwigs and could leave for free if an agreement over a new deal is not reached.
As has already been reported, Los Blancos are very attentive to the situation although they are yet to open any talks with Alexander-Arnold over a free-transfer switch for next year.
However, reports earlier today suggested that Jude Bellingham, who is a close friend of the Liverpool right-back, is pushing him to join Real Madrid.
Alexander-Arnold prioritises Liverpool
However, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, at this point, Alexander-Arnold sees Liverpool as his priority.
The 25-year-old discussed his future in a recent interview, stating that trophies would be the main driving factor behind his next move.
At the same time, though, the right-back also insisted that his dream has been to become the captain of Liverpool, while he also praised new manager Arne Slot and his way of working.
As such, Alexander-Arnold is giving priority to his boyhood club Liverpool, who will have an opportunity to extend his contract.
Talks will be held wherein the England star will seek clarity regarding the club’s plans for the future project and assess the trophy-winning potential, while money will also play a factor, before making his decision.
With Dani Carvajal in the twilight years of his career, Real Madrid need to put a succession plan in place for their long-standing first-choice right-back.
Alexander-Arnold has been seen as the ideal target, with Los Merengues having monitored him for quite some time now.
But with the player seemingly giving priority to Liverpool, it would bode well for Real Madrid to have alternatives in place.
Real Madrid prospect Alexis Ciria will have to wait for his Champions League opportunity despite making a strong impression on Jose Mourinho during pre-season.
The Castilla winger has been left out of Real Madrid’s European squad, but the decision is the consequence of UEFA registration rules rather than a sporting judgment.
According to journalist Arancha Rodriguez (h/t Defensa Central), Ciria was not eligible for Madrid’s List B because he has not been with the club long enough to satisfy UEFA’s requirements.
Registering him would therefore have required Mourinho to include him on the more restrictive List A.
UEFA rules work against Ciria
List B provides clubs with additional flexibility to register young academy players, but being young enough is not sufficient on its own.
Players must also meet requirements concerning how long they have been eligible to represent the club.
Ciria does not meet those conditions because of his limited time at Valdebebas. Real Madrid would therefore have needed to sacrifice a List A position to register him.
With those places required for members of Mourinho’s senior squad, Ciria was ultimately left out.
Real Madrid’s List B instead includes youngsters such as Joan Martinez, Mario Rivas, Thiago Pitarch, Jorge Cestero and Daniel Yanez.
Many of these youngsters made a name for themselves under Mourinho during pre-season and could be used to make up the numbers in the Champions League squad.
They could also get some minutes off the bench, especially against relatively easier opposition, as Jose Mourinho looks to manage first-team minutes.
Mourinho still plans first-team opportunity
Importantly for Ciria, missing the Champions League squad does not appear to reflect a change in Mourinho’s opinion of him.
The youngster impressed during pre-season and is expected to continue spending time around the senior team.
Mourinho intends to give Ciria his official first-team debut during the season. That opportunity will now have to arrive in La Liga or the Copa del Rey.
The Portuguese tactician placed a lot of emphasis on trusting Castilla players during pre-season in the absence of first-team stars.
Ciria was one of the many names who made a name for themselves at Real Madrid during pre-season. He deserves a chance in the first team, and it remains to be seen how Jose plans his development.
