Real Madrid have been heavily linked with a move for Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold in recent weeks and have reportedly opened talks for the right-back. It is no surprise that Los Blancos are keen to sign him, having been left without Dani Carvajal for the rest of the season due to injury.
The Italian coach, in his first press conference of 2025, was reserved on the matter, although it should be noted that Alexander-Arnold’s name was not mentioned by the local press, and Ancelotti was asked for a more general view.
“Talking about this is a little more complicated. We’ll see. The only thing I can say is that we have a lot of games in January and we are focused on that. Talking about the market is not easy for me at the moment.”
He was pressed a second time on the issue. Ancelotti is supposedly pressuring Real Madrid to sign Alexander-Arnold this winter, believing his team is falling short. Lucas Vázquez is their only natural option at right back as things stand.
“I don’t want to talk, because it’s not the time to talk about this topic here. We will see what happens, taking into account that I am delighted with the squad I have.”
Looking ahead to the new year in general, Ancelotti challenged his team to maintain the atmosphere in the locker room.
“There are games to win, as always, there is nothing new for 2024. In November there was a negative moment to which the team reacted very well. The team is now very motivated and in better shape. Alaba has started training with us. So far, so good. The atmosphere is good and we must maintain it with only one thing: winning games.”
Los Blancos are confident that Alexander-Arnold will sign for them, whether in the January transfer market or in the summer. With his contract ending this year, he can now sign a pre-contract with Real Madrid. They are reportedly willing to reach €20-25 million for Alexander-Arnold in this transfer window, but doing business in January is not something they have gotten used to doing in recent years.