Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly told Liverpool he will only sign a new contract if the club can prove they are capable of matching his ambitions.
Alarm bells will be ringing at Liverpool, as the homegrown talent's contract will expire at the end of the current season, allowing him to openly speak to other clubs in January about a potential free transfer.
Since breaking through from the youth academy at Anfield, Alexander-Arnold has gone on to make over 300 appearances for the club, and has 31 England caps.
Alexander-Arnold has already won every major honour available at his boyhood club, being part of the Liverpool side which ended their 30-year wait for an English league title back in 2020.
The right-back also had a huge hand in the Reds' Champions League triumph in 2019, and he helped the club to a domestic club double, winning both the FA Cup and EFL Cup in 2022.
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Alexander-Arnold urges Liverpool to remain competitive
With not long for Liverpool to act to keep Alexander-Arnold at the club, Football Insider claim the player has 'put the ball in Liverpool's court' regarding his future.
Alexander-Arnold told reporters: "I want to be a Liverpool player this season [at the minimum] is what I will say."
The report states the 25-year-old wants Liverpool to regularly compete at the very highest level if he is to commit his long-term future to the club.
Speaking about his ambitions, Alexander-Arnold recently revealed: "The most important thing is trophies if I'm honest. I want to win trophies, I am a player who is highly motivated by winning things and being elite."
After their EFL Cup success in February, Liverpool were on track to compete for a quadruple last season, also fighting on the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League fronts.
However, quarter-final exits in both cup competitions, and defeats to Crystal Palace and Everton saw their title dreams slip away in Jurgen Klopp's final season in charge.
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Has Alexander-Arnold outgrown Liverpool?
The club rumoured to be most interested in the right-back is Real Madrid, who can almost certainly offer Alexander-Arnold the wish of more trophies.
Having been a regular since the 2017-18 season, Alexander-Arnold has won just five major honours with Liverpool, often missing out on further Premier League titles to Manchester City.
In stark contrast, Los Blancos have won six Champions League crowns in 10 years, beating Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool on two occasions, as well as three of the last five La Liga titles.
In the transfer market, there is also little comparison between the two clubs, as Liverpool signed only Federico Chiesa this summer in terms of players to bolster their squad this season, missing out on top target Martin Zubimendi.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, were able to lure Kylian Mbappe to the club, just 12 months after signing Jude Bellingham for a huge fee from Borussia Dortmund, to join Vinicius Junior in a glittering squad.
With the potential prospect of a Real Madrid move on offer to Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool could have a tough task to keep one of their key players at the club, despite the promising start made by new manager Arne Slot.
Andrew Delaney
