Trent Alexander-Arnold is in a similar position to the one Steven Gerrard found himself in, with Real Madrid hunting his signature. England full-back Alexander-Arnold has been linked with a lucrative move to the Spanish giants should his Liverpool contract expire at the end of the campaign. The defender has been heavily linked with a free transfer to the Bernabeu, where he would be greeted by Three Lions team-mate, close friend and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham. Liverpool have seen this sort of interest before, as Gerrard was targeted by Real when Jose Mourinho was in charge. The former Reds skipper went on to snub 'The Special One' as he did when the Portuguese boss was manager of Chelsea and Inter Milan. While Gerrard and Alexander-Arnold are both local lads who went on to shine at Anfield in the Premier League, their personal circumstances are different. READ MORE: Liverpool fans kept guessing over Caoimhin Kelleher as Arne Slot outlines major selection bugbear READ MORE: Evan Ferguson admission, Roy Keane comments, Erling Haaland comparison Reflecting in 2015 on the Real Madrid move he rejected, Gerrard said: "I'd have signed for him (Mourinho) three times if I was not a Liverpool fan and Liverpool were not in my heart. "He is the reason why my head was turned on a couple of occasions. But he understood why he could not do it. It's because I love Liverpool Football Club." He added: "I did at the time [wonder at what might have been]. But for me, I said to myself when I sat down with my dad and my brother, that if I win a couple of trophies at Liverpool, then it would mean an awful lot more to me than if I win 10 at Chelsea or Inter Milan or Real Madrid. It always means more when you win for your people." During his illustrious stint at Anfield, Gerrard clinched the Champions League, the Europa League, two FA Cups and three League Cups, but the Premier League title remained just out of reach. Despite interest from Mourinho, Gerrard's deep connection with Liverpool and his burning ambition to secure the title in England's top division – a feat that had eluded the club since 1990 at the time – kept him anchored to his home turf. Unlike Gerrard, 26-year-old Alexander-Arnold doesn't share the same historical burden thanks to the Reds' triumph in 2020. He may find the allure of Real Madrid too tempting to resist as a result, especially as he's won every possible trophy with Liverpool. He is currently on course for his second Premier League title too. Arne Slot's side are also many people's favourites to win the Champions League, having dominated the group phase. The rumours about Alexander-Arnold's future have been swirling since January, but when probed, Slot played it cool. At the start of last month, Slot said: "If it would destabilise players at Liverpool if other people talk about them, then we would really have a problem. "If you play at one of the biggest clubs in the world everybody is always – for 12 months long – talking about you, sometimes in relation to other clubs. That happens so many times for our players. "If that destabilises them, then we really would have had a problem. Not only now but in the last six months, because there were some talks about our players in the last six months and I don't think it destabilised them at all." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by **signing up for free email alerts