Real Madrid plot ambitious swoop for Liverpool favourite as Ancelotti eyes James alternatives
Real Madrid have identified Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold as an alternative to Chelsea defender Reece James, according to a report.
Los Blancos are in the market for a new right-back and have rather ambitiously made James a top target.
The England international has proven himself as one of the best right-backs in the world with his stellar performances for club and country.
He did, however, have a torrid time at the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening as Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior gave him the runaround.
A move to the European champions seems very unrealistic and the fact a recent report stated that James would only cost £44million makes it feel all the more unlikely.
This was reported by Marca and another Spanish outlet have made a huge claim.
According to Todo Fichajes, should Real Madrid fail to land James, they will turn their attention to Liverpool right-back Alexander-Arnold.
It is hard to decide which of these England defenders are less realistic, though the report does state that Trent would be ‘more expensive’.
Madrid have ‘evaluated’ James and believe he is attainable, even though he penned a new five-year contract last September.
Los Blancos has added the Liverpool star to their shortlist, though James ‘remains the priority’.
Speaking this week, former Chelsea player Tony Cascarino said he sees Alexander-Arnold as a “Barcelona type of player”.
“Even though he’s had a difficult year, Trent is of an age – he’s 24 – where you can still get a really big deal for him,” Cascarino said.
“He’s a Barcelona type of player, or a team that wants to play the way Trent does.”
Another name on the list is Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong – who is being strongly linked with a move to Man Utd.
There is a lot of interest in the Dutch international and the German club are believed to be preparing for his exit.
Discussing his future, Frimpong recently said: “I don’t know when I will decide about my future. I’m just concentrating on Leverkusen and the upcoming games.”
Leverkusen are apparently demanding a fee of around £44m – the same as James – with the player’s former club Celtic set to receive a huge amount of money should he move for that price.
When the Bhoys sold Frimpong for £11.5m, they included a 30 per cent sell-on clause. This means they will get over £13m if he is bought for £44m.
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