The news that Trent Alexander-Arnold is on the brink of a move to Real Madrid has been met with heavy criticism from the Liverpool community.

Loyalty is a rare trait in the modern game, and it seems that Alexander-Arnold is the latest player to disregard that principle.

History has told us that the grass isn’t always greener after departing Liverpool.

Whilst Luis Suarez left Liverpool for a big fee back in the summer of 2014 and went on to be a huge success for Barcelona, he is an anomaly, with several players since then failing to blossom following their exits.

Liverpool news: Arne Slot responds after Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold transfer claims	Arne Slot replies to Trent Alexander-Arnold exit talk as Liverpool boss responds to 'situation'	Arne Slot responds to reports of Trent Alexander-Arnold's Real Madrid agreement

Phillipe Coutinho, who was a continuous standout in his time at Anfield, appeared to be reaching an even higher level in the first few years of the Jurgen Klopp era.

However, the Brazilian was eager to seek a new adventure, and in the January transfer window of 2018, signed for Barcelona for a whopping £142m.

Coutinho struggled to transfer his success in England, to Spain, and his career has been on a downwards spiral ever since.

Unsuccessful stints at Bayern Munich and Aston Villa followed, with the former Liverpool attacking-midfielder now plying his trade in Brazil’s top-flight division with Vasco de Gama.

Georgino Wijnaldum is another player to mention, as he left at a time when he was arguably playing the best football of his career.

The Dutch midfielder signed for Paris St Germain in the summer of 2022, joining Sergio Ramos, Lionel Messi and Gianluigi Donarumma in a historic transfer window for the Parisians.

Wijnaldum also struggled to adapt to change and was limited to very few appearances on the pitch for the Ligue 1 side, before being sold to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq.

Trent Alexander-Arnold will be hoping his path doesn’t follow a similar pattern.

The English right-back has now responded to the negative backlash from fans of Liverpool following his rumoured exit to Real Madrid.

According to Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Alexander-Arnold has not addressed the move publicly but has been privately “saddened” by the negativity he has been receiving.

The online publication goes on to reveal that the criticism is unfair, arguing that Liverpool could have accepted Real Madrid’s offer in January instead of letting him leave for free.

The offer in January was 30 million euros, a staggeringly low amount of a player of Trent’s talent.

Liverpool fans appreciate that Trent Alexander-Arnold is in the prime of his career, making the news an even harder pill to swallow than it would otherwise be.

Whilst the transfer hasn’t been officially announced, the inevitability that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s time at Liverpool is drawing to a close is becoming an ever-increasing reality.

Want to get the latest Liverpool news direct to your phone?