Liverpool superstar Trent Alexander-Arnold appears set to be the next big-name player to arrive in Spain as he nears a move to Real Madrid in the summer.
The Merengues, after all, have been eyeing a new right-back for a while now and see him be the ideal profile to replace Dani Carvajal in defence.
As relayed by SPORT in a recent update, however, the player was on Barcelona’s radar not too long ago and the story could well have been different had a few factors played out differently.
On the Catalans’ wishlist
As portrayed by the outlet, Barcelona were seriously interested in Alexander-Arnold’s signing in recent years and made an effort to contact the player and his environment.
After all, the likes of Xavi Hernandez and Jordi Cruyff, in the past, were big admirers of the Liverpool star and saw him to be a priority incorporation for the squad.
Now, however, he has been dismissed as an option and is no longer seen as a target in any capacity. Several factors have to do with the dramatic turnaround in his situation.
More recently, current director Deco also met the defender’s entourage on occasions to discuss a transfer, but the club’s financial situation is one reason why Barcelona have opted against his signing. He may be a free agent but his salary will not be easy to accommodate.
Furthermore, the Blaugrana have identified alternate positions of interest which are of higher priority given the squad strength and thus see the right-back position to be of less importance.
After all, Jules Kounde has been in red-hot form in the department.
Alexander-Arnold has spoken openly about his love for Barcelona and the club’s legends in the past but it now appears that he may well don their arch-rivals’ jersey next season.