Trent Alexander-Arnold is not having the best of times at Real Madrid, and his entourage has now revealed where his future might lie.

The England star has struggled to nail down a regular starting spot in the Spanish capital since his controversial arrival last year. Trent left boyhood club Liverpool after running down his contract, with Real Madrid paying a small €10 million fee to bring him in ahead of the Club World Cup.

Reds fans were furious that the 28-year-old wanted to leave the club for free, and in hindsight, there may be a sense of regret on the player's part about how his Anfield exit transpired. It's not gone great for him at Real Madrid.

He suffered from muscular problems last season and missed a large chunk of the campaign, which prompted the Spanish giants to sign Denzel Dumfries from Inter in the summer. Despite now being fit, the strong competition at right-back has limited his minutes even further this term.

Alexander-Arnold has only featured in half of the possible games so far. He has made six appearances, clocking just 344 minutes, and has been an unused substitute six times. Jose Mourinho has even experimented with him in midfield, but that project was quickly abandoned.

Alexander-Arnold's transfer stance

Given his lack of action, reports claiming that the full-back is unhappy have rapidly proliferated in recent weeks. It has been asserted that Trent's representatives have already started sounding out possible suitors ahead of a potential Premier League return in 2027.

The likes of Arsenal and Chelsea are supposedly interested in the 28-year-old, while it has also been speculated that Liverpool are trying to engineer a sensational comeback. According to data analytics firm SciSports, an Anfield return would actually make sense.

But is there any truth in these transfer rumours? Not if The Athletic is to be believed. Sources close to the player dismiss suggestions that he is unhappy and already exploring escape routes out of Madrid.

Of course, there is an acknowledgement that things haven't gone to plan for the Englishman at Los Blancos, but he remains determined to stay and fight for his place in Mourinho's team.

His technical qualities are not in doubt, but history is repeating itself for Trent in the sense that it is not entirely clear where best to use him. The perennial question marks around his defensive capabilities remain, which is why he has been relegated to third choice in his customary position.

When Mourinho started favouring midfielder Federico Valverde over the specialist right-back, the writing appeared to be on the wall. It's not as clear-cut as that, it rarely is, but there is no getting around the fact that the 28-year-old is now in a very awkward spot.

As things stand, Trent wants to knuckle down and keep battling. Joining Real Madrid was a lifelong ambition that he is not willing to give up on after just 16 months. Time will tell if this is only delaying the inevitable or if Trent's determination will be rewarded.