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Despite growing rumors of a possible Premier League comeback in January, Trent Alexander-Arnold is reportedly "only focused on Real Madrid" during a difficult spell at the Bernabéu.
Nothing has gone according to plan for Alexander-Arnold since he said goodbye to Liverpool after the 2024–25 season. The England international's first campaign in a white kit was plagued by multiple long-term injuries, and now he can barely get onto the pitch under new manager José Mourinho.
Alexander-Arnold has started just four games in 2026–27, and has been an unused substitute in six of Real Madrid's 13 matches across all competitions this season. Interest from Liverpool and Chelsea has surfaced, offering the fullback two tempting pathways back to the English top flight.
However, according to MARCA, Alexander-Arnold's priority remains Los Blancos. The 28-year-old "isn't considering" a winter move at this stage, though the situation could shift over the coming two months if things continue to worsen at the Bernabéu.
There is only so long a player of Alexander-Arnold's caliber and reputation can spend warming the bench. The dream of winning trophies with Real Madrid can only keep him in the Spanish capital for so long before he must prioritize his career and begin a fresh chapter elsewhere, before fading into obscurity.
Alexander-Arnold Is Now Mourinho's Third Choice
Alexander-Arnold had hoped to be the undisputed first-choice starter this season at Real Madrid now that he is fit again. However, the club brought in Denzel Dumfries to fill the void left by the departing Dani Carvajal, and Mourinho identified the Dutchman as his preferred option on the right side.
Despite a strong preseason, Alexander-Arnold quickly found himself playing second fiddle to a more defensively reliable fullback, even when the team was crying out for creativity. Mourinho attempted to rotate the pair early in the campaign, but Alexander-Arnold's playing time soon began to dwindle rapidly.
The situation worsened further for the former Liverpool man when Federico Valverde entered the picture. The natural midfielder was deployed at right back against Villarreal and has since made the position his own, despite previously admitting it wasn't a role he wanted to play.
There is no question that Real Madrid have looked at their sharpest under Mourinho with Valverde in defense. The Uruguayan started the club's last three matches on the right flank, and the 15-time European champions won all three—including El Clásico—by a combined score of 10–3.
Now, Alexander-Arnold cannot even earn backup minutes. Across the team's last four matches, he managed just a single minute of action.
Mourinho Sounds Off on Alexander-Arnold Exit Rumors
With each game that passes with Alexander-Arnold's talents going unused, transfer talk continues to intensify. A return to the Premier League would make considerable sense for the Englishman, particularly if he remains overlooked in the final months of 2026.
Nevertheless, Mourinho does not anticipate a January departure for either Alexander-Arnold or Dumfries, despite Valverde's firm grip on the right flank.
"I don't like creating bad feelings in my players; I like creating good ones," he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday, addressing the recent reduced roles of Alexander-Arnold and Dumfries. "When you build a squad based on two players per position and then make a third play, it's something I don't like, that hurts me, and that makes me sad.
"But I have had good acceptance from Trent and Dumfries when we explained to them that it was a decision for the team and not against the players ... I don't think they will be asking for any kind of exit. The difficulty of the season, with so many matches and those gifts of playing three matches in six days, the accumulation of cards, the accumulation of fatigue, some injuries ... In the end, everyone will play."
Mourinho also confirmed that either Alexander-Arnold or Dumfries will start Sunday's fixture against Racing Santander while Valverde recovers from a fitness concern he picked up against Barcelona.