Former Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold will be ‘tempted’ to leave Real Madrid if Chelsea make an approach for him in January, an observer has claimed.

Alexander-Arnold ran down his contract with boyhood club Liverpool before joining Real Madrid for just €10million (then £8.4m) in May 2025, ready for the revamped Club World Cup. So far, the right-back has managed eight assists in 42 matches for Los Blancos, though he is yet to score his first goal for the club.

Alexander-Arnold has shown flashes of his world-class ability for Madrid, but never on a consistent basis. He has been limited to seven appearances this season due to competition for places from Federico Valverde and Denzel Dumfries.

Liverpool have decided against reuniting with Alexander-Arnold, despite some reports claiming that could emerge as a possibility.

Chelsea reporter Si Phillips claimed on Wednesday that the Blues are monitoring Alexander-Arnold as one of several potential replacements for Malo Gusto, who is available for transfer heading into the January window.

Reacting to this shock link, former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider: “One name who I have heard in connection with a move to Chelsea is Trent Alexander-Arnold.

“It came as a bit of a surprise to me, to be honest, but he has fallen well down the pecking order at Real Madrid to the point where he’s now the second or even third choice.

“It appears [Jose] Mourinho doesn’t rate him particularly in that right-back position, and he’s not the only one, because he’s been out in the cold for England as well.

“Alexander-Arnold is a talented footballer who has a very good skillset, but it is those weaknesses in his game that often raises concerns.

“Chelsea, though, will always be keen on the possibility of signing a big-name player; it’s just what they do, so they’ll be keeping an eye on whether he does become available.

“There’s always the talk about him going back to Liverpool as well, but I don’t think that’s going to be a possibility because of the way he left. Nobody was particularly happy.

Trent Alexander-Arnold to Chelsea?!

“They’ll want to avoid that situation coming up again, as will he I expect, so Chelsea could be where he ends up, and he could be tempted if they decide to make a move.”

It was suggested earlier this week that the 28-year-old might request a meeting with Madrid boss Mourinho to discuss his lack of starts and his future at the Bernabeu.

Despite links with both Chelsea and Liverpool, it is hard to see Alexander-Arnold returning to the Premier League next year.

He clearly dreamt of playing for Madrid for a long time, so much so that he left his boyhood club to sign for them. So the full-back will likely be determined to remain at Madrid and ensure his spell there becomes successful.

Other possible solutions for Chelsea at right-back include Barcelona’s Xavi Espart and Daniel Banjaqui of Benfica.