Real Madrid have given up hope of signing Trent Alexander-Arnold this month.
The England star is out of contract with Liverpool at the end of the season, with no sign yet of him extending his stay at Anfield. Madrid have long been seen as the frontrunners to sign him in the search for Dani Carvajal's successor.
La Liga leaders saw a £20million bid for Alexander-Arnold rejected by Liverpool at the turn of the year. The 26-year-old remains the Spanish giants' top target despite that offer being rejected.
They can reach a pre-contract agreement with the right-back at any time until his Liverpool deal expires. And it seems they are now happy to wait until summer before renewing their interest.
According to Revelo, Madrid believe a deal to sign him in January is 'practically impossible'. Instead, Alexander-Arnold will move to the Bernabeu in July, barring 'unexpected events'.
Madrid's leaders have approved the decision to park their interest in the summer. Liverpool's 'lack of will' to let Alexander-Arnold go and the expectation that the right-back will not force a departure have been cited as the two biggest factors for abandoning a move in January.
Los Blancos believe Liverpool would not accept even a high offer, while Alexander-Arnold is 'not convinced' a mid-season move away from the Reds is the best option.
While Madrid are now pushing for a free transfer in the summer, they expect the Reds to also make a sustained bid to keep him at Anfield. Carlo Ancelotti now hopes to have Alexander-Arnold in his squad ahead of the Club World Cup, for which Liverpool have failed to qualify.
Ancelotti wanted to avoid jeopardizing a possible move by speaking about it publicly. He said at the start of the month: “January signings? It's a little more complicated to talk about this. We'll see, we'll see. Talking about that is not easy at the moment.
“I said we won't sign anyone early in January. Look, I can't talk about it now. This is not the time and place. We'll see what will happen, but I have a great squad. We have injuries and problems with it, but we are also able to overcome them.”
Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, has taken steps to keep rumors about his future out of the public eye. Instead, he is focusing on helping the Reds win silverware this season.
“I've been at the club for 20 years now, I've signed four or five contract extensions and none of them have played out in public. And this one won't be either,” he told Sky Sports in December.
“I think we've won several trophies. I think that's the level we're at, that's the level we've shown what we're capable of, beating the best teams in the world.”
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