Former Liverpool striker and ex-England forward Emile Heskey has spoken to Eldorado about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s situation at Real Madrid, suggesting Bayern Munich as a suitable destination while expressing a preference for a Liverpool return and questioning the likelihood of a move to Manchester United.
Alexander-Arnold’s game time at Real Madrid
Trent Alexander-Arnold left Merseyside in June 2025 to sign a six-year deal at the Santiago Bernabeu running until June 2031.
During the 2026-27 season, Alexander-Arnold has found regular starts hard to come by at Real Madrid and has been used as a rotation option under Jose Mourinho behind converted midfielder Fede Valverde and summer signing Denzel Dumfries.
Alexander-Arnold has logged 355 minutes and one assist across seven La Liga games in the 2026-27 season, and he has made one 79-minute Champions League outing for Real Madrid in the same campaign.
Heskey backs Bayern and hopes for Liverpool return
Heskey believes Bayern Munich would be a good next club for Real Madrid right-back Alexander-Arnold amid his limited playing time in Spain, and he feels a switch to the Allianz Arena would suit the defender if he leaves the Spanish capital.
Heskey said to Eldorado: "Bayern Munich would be a good move for Trent Alexander-Arnold. The German league, the Bundesliga, is very competitive. He'd be at the biggest club there, and that would be amazing for him, but I would love to see him back at Liverpool."
Despite Heskey backing a switch to Bayern Munich, GOAL reports that a move to Bayern remains unlikely in the near future with nearly five years still left on Alexander-Arnold's Real Madrid contract.
Manchester United move dismissed
Heskey does not think Alexander-Arnold would move to Manchester United and said he does not believe the defender would ever make that switch.
Explaining why the player's attacking threat is so valuable while dismissing a move to Old Trafford, Heskey said: "For all the negatives that we talk about him as a defender, the positives outweigh that, to be honest with you. What he gives you going the other way outweighs that massively. But Manchester United? No, I don't think he'd ever do that. I think he'd rather just sit on the bench in Madrid and practice his Spanish if that was his only way out."
Heskey’s background and focus on Alexander-Arnold
Heskey is described as a 62-cap ex-England forward and previously won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup under Gerard Houllier at Liverpool in the 2000-01 season.
He also represented Leicester City, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa while scoring seven goals for England.
Heskey closely follows Alexander-Arnold, who is described as his old club Liverpool's former academy graduate.
GOAL reports that if Alexander-Arnold remains behind Fede Valverde and Denzel Dumfries heading into 2027, questions over his long-term future in Spain will continue.
GOAL also reports that Alexander-Arnold will aim to win back a regular starting spot under Jose Mourinho when domestic football resumes after the November international break.
Heskey defended Alexander-Arnold against ongoing criticism of his defensive work and insists the right-back's passing range and creativity going forward more than make up for any weaknesses at the back.
