Nov 27,2024
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti refused to be drawn on speculation linking the club with a move for Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The England right-back is out of contract in the summer and speculation persists over a move to the Bernabeu.
Real currently have an issue at right-back, with Dani Carvajal ruled out for the season after an ACL injury only intensifying the Alexander-Arnold talk.
However, Ancelotti refused to be drawn on any potential interest in the 26-year-old.
"I am sorry, I cannot think about Alexander-Arnold, he is not my player," was all the former Everton boss would say ahead of their Champions League clash at Anfield.
"I consider, as usual, Liverpool with a lot of respect – a fantastic club, fantastic supporters – but I'm still an Evertonian."
Real midfielder Jude Bellingham, good friends with Alexander-Arnold from their time together with England, was asked whether he would be playing with the defender next season.
"I’ll be playing alongside him next season for England anyway. That will be a guarantee," he said.
"But he’s a Liverpool player and it would be disrespectful to come to his home today with a big game tomorrow and talk about something that could be misconstrued so it’s important to take that pressure off him.
"He is a really good mate of mine and I want him to do really well, just not tomorrow night.
"We will see what happens but he is a Liverpool player."
When Bellingham decided to leave Borussia Dortmund, there were a host of clubs clamouring for his signature and Liverpool were one, until it became apparent the price was prohibitive to their spending plans for the entire squad.
"It probably wasn’t as close as a lot of the media made out," said Bellingham.
"I had conversations with a few clubs when leaving Borussia Dortmund and making that decision. They gave me permission to speak to a few clubs.
"But when Real Madrid come knocking on the door it shakes the whole house. It’s hard not to accept.
"It’s not a matter the other teams weren’t good or were bad when I spoke to them, it’s just that Real Madrid are on a different level."
Bellingham also touched on how he believed he had been treated as a "scapegoat" after England's defeat in the final of Euro 2024, while revealing how certain members of the media had intruded into his family life.
I've got to be honest, I think I lost my smile a lot after the Euros when it came to playing for England because I felt like I was a little bit mistreated in comparison to what I contributed.
"I felt like some of it was a bit harsh on me. I felt I was a bit like the scapegoat. Maybe I was feeling a little bit sorry for myself."
Bellingham refused to speak to any media during the tournament, which drew its own criticism, but he justified that by saying it was a protest at the treatment some of his family had received from the press back home while he was in Germany.
"There were a few things that happened during the tournament," he revealed. "I had some personal things going on, journalists who went to go and see members of my family whilst I was at the tournament, went to visit my grandparents and that's something I kept to myself.
"I don't think that’s fair. I think that crosses the line of respect. I took it a little bit personally and decided I was going to focus on the football and try to let that do the talking.
"Maybe I should have communicated that before so people understood my situation but that was a little bit more personal and that’s why I decided to keep my mouth shut."
