'I quit English football for Spain – Trent Alexander-Arnold will love it at Real Madrid'

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been encouraged to leave Liverpool for a lucrative new life with Real Madrid by another England icon, Gary Lineker, who made the daunting decision to head for Spain during his own playing career.

Alexander-Arnold has reportedly turned down multiple attempts to renew his contract from the Reds and it appears likely that he will leave Anfield next summer.

The right-back will be free to open talks over a pre-contract agreement with any foreign club from January 1 as his contract is due to expire on June 30, 2025.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid are frontrunners to snap up the England international on a free transfer, although no deal has been agreed yet.

The Spanish champions will be able to offer the full-back a bumper salary and signing-on fee, repeating the same trick they used to land Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba.

And Lineker believes that the 26-year-old cannot turn down the chance to join the La Liga giants, insisting he would enjoy his time in Spain if he heads to the Santiago Bernabeu.

“It seems to make a lot of sense to me,” Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast. “[Signing players on a] free transfer is how Real Madrid have done things recently.

“He is really close to Jude Bellingham and would fit in there beautifully. He would be a massive success. They wouldn’t focus on his defending critically as we do here – overly in my opinion.

“It’s a great fit and would be a huge loss for Liverpool. But they have a youngster coming through in Conor Bradley who has done really well.

“I think it is highly likely that will happen, although I have no inside information whatsoever.”

Playing in La Liga is a topic Lineker is certainly qualified to talk about. Shortly after winning the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup, Lineker moved from Everton to Barcelona in a £2.8million transfer.

He quickly settled at the Nou Camp – scoring a hat-trick in the Clasico against Madrid – and made himself a fans’ favourite after scoring 42 goals in 103 La Liga appearances before heading back to Tottenham three years later.

Addressing Alexander-Arnold’s decision on his Liverpool future ahead of a possible move to the Spanish capital, the Match of the Day host admitted Alexander-Arnold could find their advances too tempting to turn down.

“How do you say no to Real Madrid?” he added. “Liverpool is an incredible football club, but a fresh challenge, playing abroad, I did it myself [moving to Spain]. Playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona is truly special.

“However strong and powerful and rich the Premier League is, the world’s greats still go to Barcelona and Real Madrid. The only exception in recent times is Erling Haaland. That aside, they go there.

“He will love it there. It will be amazing. They’ll worship and appreciate his passing range. He is in the prime of his career. I wouldn’t begrudge him.”