Following the path that Michael Owen and Steve McManaman once ventured down, Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly been unable to resist the bright lights of the Bernabeu.
The 26-year-old's future - along with that of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk - has been dominating Anfield headlines for months on end, a real shame for head coach Arne Slot, who should be lapping up the fanfare ahead of an expected Premier League coronation.
Instead, the Dutchman's next press conference will surely see him have to bat away incessant questions about Alexander-Arnold allegedly moving closer to signing for Real Madrid on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Fabrizio Romano has now reported that Los Blancos have lodged an official offer to Alexander-Arnold's camp and are optimistic about getting a deal over the line, thus succeeding in their arduous mission to find Dani Carvajal's successor.
While Alexander-Arnold's current understudy Conor Bradley is a highly competent option, Liverpool will no doubt be tipped to sign a direct replacement for the Real Madrid-bound right-back, albeit one who might not be able to replicate his breathtaking passing range.
Here, Sports Mole looks at four players who Liverpool might have their eye on to succeed Alexander-Arnold for the 2025-26 season and beyond.
Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen | Netherlands | 24)
A player whom Slot is already said to be in 'direct contact' with over a summer transfer, Bayer Leverkusen and Netherlands star Jeremie Frimpong has established a reputation as one of the finest attacking full-backs in European football, and with good reason.
The former Manchester City and Celtic youngster is thriving on the right-hand side of Xabi Alonso's 3-4-2-1 shape and has had a direct hand in 15 goals in 40 games across all tournaments this season, four of his own and 11 assists.
Frimpong's playmaking numbers certainly make for positive reading for Slot as he seeks to replace Alexander-Arnold's unrivalled abilities in that field, and there are few better with the ball at their feet than the Dutchman.
Indeed, according to statistics from FBref for the past 365 days, Frimpong ranks in the top 2% of full-backs across Europe's big-five leagues for progressive carries, averaging 4.51 per game in the Bundesliga.
However, Frimpong also ranks in the bottom 1% for progressive passing distance - just 81.83 yards - and as he is more comfortable as a wing-back, he may not be a natural fit for Slot's four-at-the-back system, especially seeing as he is in the bottom 17% for tackles won.
Givairo Read (Feyenoord | Netherlands | 18)
Slot opted not to raid former club Feyenoord when he took over the reins from Jurgen Klopp last season, but one rising Rotterdam star could now be the heir to the Alexander-Arnold throne.
Eighteen-year-old Givairo Read has made the right-back spot his own at De Kuip in recent months, and the 2006-born protege is starting to make quite the name for himself on the playmaking front.
In Feyenoord's 6-2 win over FC Twente just before the international break, Read set up three of his side's goals, prior to which he also laid on two vital assists in a 2-1 victory over Almere City in February.
However, the 18-year-old would likely be a longer-term investment rather than an immediate fix given he is three years Bradley's junior, and Liverpool may reportedly face intense competition from Barcelona to sign him.
Then again, Alexander-Arnold was only a teenager when he burst onto the Anfield scene, and as Slot could use his Rotterdam connections to his advantage, keep watching this space.
Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace | Colombia | 28)
Should Liverpool go down the experienced, Premier League-proven path when trying to sign an Alexander-Arnold replacement, there may be no better place to look than Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace's Daniel Munoz is supposedly earning several glances from Europe's elite clubs - namely Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona - after making waves under Oliver Glasner, registering five goals and five assists from 33 games in all competitions this season.
Of course, Munoz primarily functions as a wing-back for his club just like Frimpong does, but unlike the Leverkusen star, the Colombia international often features as an out-and-out right-back for his country.
Furthermore, the 28-year-old would arguably be a defensive upgrade on Alexander-Arnold, as he averages 2.36 tackles won per game in the Premier League over the past year, putting him in the top 1% of all full-backs in the big five European leagues.
Munoz might not be as good a progressive passer as Alexander-Arnold, but when it comes to right-backs who are both astute in an attacking sense and dogged defensively, there are few more reliable.
Vanderson (Monaco | Brazil | 23)
Liverpool signing a tough-tackling Brazilian from Monaco who blossoms into an all-time Reds great? Where have we seen this before...
From John Arne Riise and Takumi Minamino to Fernando Morientes and the formerly world-beating Fabinho, Liverpool and Monaco have a history of sharing faces, and the Merseyside titans could do worse than try to repeat their trick with the latter.
Twenty-three-year-old Vanderson left Gremio in the winter of 2022 to make the move to Ligue 1, and while his attacking metrics are not great at face value - one goal and two assists from 22 top-flight games this season - a deeper dive explains why Barcelona are supposedly 'obsessed' with signing him.
Vanderson could bring a bit of Alexander-Arnold back to Anfield with his stunning range of cross-field balls, as he sits in the top 4% of full-backs for switches per game in the big five European leagues with 0.62.
The Brazilian also has his fair share of defending to do despite playing for a club of Monaco's stature, but he is in the top 1% of full-backs for tackles won in the middle third with 1.42 per game, in addition to sitting in the top 2% for ball recoveries with 6.17 per 90.
Vanderson appears to have become Brazil's new first-choice right-back too - starting three of their last four games and only missing the other through suspension - but do not be surprised to see Manchester United try their luck this summer as well.
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