In the latest sports news storm, according to The Athletic, La Liga giants Real Madrid are secretly laying plans to sign England wing-back Trent Arnold ahead of Liverpool. However, Liverpool have firmly rebuffed the offer, rejecting Real Madrid's offer to negotiate the sale of Arnold in January.
Real Madrid reportedly initiated contact with Liverpool on December 31st, expressing interest in Arnold's transfer during the winter transfer window. Given that Arnold's contract will expire in June, and his contract extension with Liverpool is not yet clear, Real Madrid tried to seize this opportunity. However, Liverpool did not discuss the offer in depth and did not even touch on the exact figure of the transfer fee.
Despite this, Real Madrid are still confident of signing Arnold in the summer transfer window. They want to finalize the deal as soon as possible to avoid Arnold joining another team for free when his contract expires. If Liverpool are willing to release Arnold now, Real Madrid are willing to facilitate the deal at a fair price.
Sources close to the situation have revealed that Real Madrid have not ruled out the possibility of making more aggressive moves in the coming days and weeks. Real Madrid are desperate to find a replacement at right-back since Carvajal suffered a serious knee injury in October. Carvajal is expected to make his comeback at the new Club World Cup in June, but until then, Real Madrid must find a player who can replace him.
Real Madrid insiders have emphasized that without strengthening the right-back position, it will become extremely difficult for the team to remain competitive in all competitions. While respecting Vazquez's performance, the versatile player is already under too much pressure to play. Meanwhile, while Real Madrid's center back position is also a concern, the situation has improved thanks to recent good results, the rise of youth player Raul Asensio and the rehabilitation of Alaba.
Real Madrid's board of directors have ruled out any plans to make reinforcements in the next four months as they believe that there are no top center-backs available on the market at the moment. However, Vallejo may be on the verge of leaving the team, despite the fact that the club and coach Carlo Ancelotti do not have high hopes for him, but he himself is reluctant to leave. Vallejo missed training on Saturday due to ill health and did not train on Sunday. The club is looking for a way out for him, but his contract is also due to expire in June and his future is yet to be finalized.